


Cemetery of Forgone Memories

by Estrella_Sebaek



Series: EXO - 1 Song 1 Story [8]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: A long and wild (?) smut (ch.9), A short and mild smut (ch.8), Angst with a happy (?) ending but patience is required, Baekhyun’s dentist is a vampire, Bottom Byun Baekhyun, Brief mentions of blood and death because this is how HDL works, Cherry Blossom Love Song, EXO - 1 Song 1 Story, Hotel Del Luna - Freeform, Inspired by EXO’s song, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Mention Of Homophobia, Mention of Surene, Reincarnation, Smut, Top Oh Sehun, Your Moonlight, inspired by Hotel del Luna
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:28:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 70,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26879737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estrella_Sebaek/pseuds/Estrella_Sebaek
Summary: Baekhyun has been the co-director of Hotel Del Luna for centuries, his job is to assist souls in settling their unfinished business before moving on. What will happen when Sehun, someone who played a critical role in Baekhyun’s tragic past, appears in the hotel as the new general manager?Everything is fate. The secret of full moon and cherry blossom will soon be revealed. What will Baekhyun do, when it comes to his own closure?(A story inspired by Hotel Del Luna)
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Oh Sehun
Series: EXO - 1 Song 1 Story [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1660081
Comments: 36
Kudos: 67





	1. Your Moonlight 01.

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo this is what I’ve been working on for a while and I’m really excited about it :P This is a story based on Hotel Del Luna, but I just followed the concept and most of the content (including ending... shhhh) is different. If you know how HDL works, you’ll probably know there will be mentions of accident, blood and death (since this story revolves around souls), I will keep those incidents as brief as possible but I can’t ignore them completely because they form part of the storyline. I will include appropriate warning at the beginning of each chapter if sth sensitive is mentioned. Although this is not the happiest story I’ve written, I hope you will like the characters as much as I do. One more thing - Update may be slower than before because I’m basically struggling with every single scene...
> 
> BGM & Lyrics: Your Moonlight / Cherry Blossom Love Song - Chen  
> Eng Lyrics @ lyricskpop.net / Pop!gasa

✧  
_몇 번을 걸어왔던 길 끝엔  
At the end of the road that I’ve walked several times  
네가 있어서 참 좋았어  
I was happy to see you  
지금도 난 행복해  
I’m still happy_

✧  
_“Promise me, you will tell me your name one day.”  
“One day, I promise.”_

✧  
Baekhyun was wearing his favourite _Dior_ dress shirt, standing in the middle of the cross road junction, staring with his hollow dark brown eyes. His elegant presence didn’t match with the scene, where two men were lying on the floor, covered with blood. The police was busy investigating the incident, no one was paying attention to him. To be exact, no one could see him, not the living ones, at least.

He was playing with his fingers, waiting for the two souls to detach completely from their bodies. The excess loss of blood was enough to certify them dead on the spot.

“Follow me.” Baekhyun turned his head without further words. He walked towards an old man waiting for him at the corner. “Bring them to the _sauna_ first, their bloody faces will disgust other guests.”

The old man, aged around 60, nodded in response. He greeted the two men, signalled them to follow him.

“Are we... _dead_?” One of the men asked, startled. 

Baekhyun stopped, turned around and smirked. “Your Audi just crashed into a concrete wall, do you still need to ask?”

“Where are we going...?” The other man questioned, his body was trembling.

“To somewhere where you can rest. Now go, no more _fucking_ questions till you clean your disgusting self up.”

✧  
The old man drove to a rural hilly area and said, “we have arrived our destination. Please come with us.”

“What are we doing here? This area has nothing and...” Before the man was able to finish the sentence, he was completely shocked with what he saw - a luxurious hotel appeared in front of him. It was the grandest one he had ever seen in his life.

_Hotel del Luna._

He never knew there was such a tall hotel building in Seoul, not to say in this suburb area. The name of the hotel didn’t sound familiar to him neither.

“Welcome to _Hotel del Luna_ , Mr Kang Chanwoo and Mr Jung Kimoon. My name is Jang Seongnam, the general manager of the hotel. This handsome gentleman is Byun Baekhyun, co-director of the hotel.”

“How do you know my name?” Chanwoo asked, still couldn’t believe his eyes.

“You are our guest, of course we know your name. Please come, I’ll show you around and lead you to our sauna.” Mr Jang smiled and signalled the two startled men to follow him, all of them soon disappearing from Baekhyun’s sight. 

Baekhyun looked at his watch, the _blue submariner Rolex_ from his favourite collection. It was still early. He took the executive elevator to his office and started working on the files piling up on his desk. The numbers of these few months didn’t look good, given the constant increase in number of guests, these numbers didn’t sit right in his eyes. _Jieun must be overspending, again, she never learns._ Baekhyun’s eyebrows furrowed. He put the files aside, decided to have a look at the garage the next day to see if Jieun had got herself another car.

It was about time to officially greet the new guests, Baekhyun stared at the full-length mirror in his office, checking his appearance thoroughly. He still looked the same, attractive dark brown eyes, delicate skin, naturally luscious lips, perfect body proportion well displayed by the dress shirt and tight pants he was wearing. 

Baekhyun was flawless, he had always been so, and it wouldn’t change. His beauty was eternal, it wouldn’t fade with the clicking of clock, change of season, passage of time - because Baekhyun wasn’t a human, he wouldn’t age. 

Satisfied with his look, Baekhyun left his office and walked towards the main lobby. He stared down from the corridor of the upper floor and noticed Mr Jang and the two men were already sitting on the couch, waiting for him. He went down the spiral stairs at his usual slow pace, his irresistible aura caught everyone’s attention.

Baekhyun’s elegance matched with the hotel perfectly. The entire hotel was designed in an aesthetic and classy style. Each piece of furnishing was high-quality with opulent, expensive touches. Red velvet carpets, crystal chandeliers and baroque still-life paintings collectively sent out a posh vibe. Indeed, it looked more like a palace than a hotel.

“Mr Jang, we only have these two _kids_... these two gentlemen tonight?” Baekhyun asked, although he was the co-director of the hotel and was indeed _much older_ than Mr Jang, he used to address him in a polite way to show his respect.

“Yes, according to the list, they are the only new guests.” Mr Jang confirmed.

“Okay, then we can start. First of all, welcome to _Hotel del Luna_ , as you already know, I’m Byun Baekhyun, co-director of the hotel. _Hotel del Luna_ is not a usual hotel, it is not a place for normal human beings, it is only visible to our honourable guests.” Baekhyun paused for a short moment before he continued.

“It is a place for the _dead_ , for their souls to rest temporarily before they move on.”

Chanwoo and Kimoon were both panting heavily, they looked like their usual self after cleaning up. It was difficult to accept that they were indeed, dead.

“So... we are souls now? We are really... like really... dead?” Kimoon still refused to believe he was no longer alive.

“Just touch your chest and check if your heart still beats.” Baekhyun replied coldly. Kimoon placed his hand on his left chest, he eventually let out a hopeless sigh. Of course, his heart wasn’t beating. _He was dead_.

“Why am I here though? Isn’t death the end of my life?” Chanwoo questioned.

“It could be the end for certain people, while for some, it is just another beginning.” Baekhyun stepped closer to the window, raising his head, looking at the full moon.

“You guys are here not only because you are dead, but because there is something hindering you from moving on. In layman’s terms, you have _unfinished business_ on earth. You are invited to stay here temporarily to cleanse your soul, meanwhile we are here to assist you in seeking your _closure_.” Baekhyun continued, still eyeing the silver plate glowing in the dark.

“What will happen when we... finish our business?” Kimoon inquired further.

Baekhyun turned around and let out a mirthless laugh. “You will know, sooner or later. It’s getting late now, Mr Jang, lead them back to their rooms please.” 

“Oh by the way, have you seen Jieun?” Baekhyun added after a few seconds.

Before Mr Jang responded, the click-clack sound from high heels echoing from the lobby entrance caught their attention. A gorgeous lady, dressed in a red midi dress with v-neck cut, ruffles on the waist and hem, was approaching. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, swinging while she walked elegantly. The guests were astonished by her stunning beauty, while Baekhyun and Mr Jang were already used to her fancy dressing style.

What seemed unusual was Jieun was not on her own, there was a guy following her.

“I thought you said we only have these two guests today?” Baekhyun questioned.

“Yes, they are the only guests we have.” Mr Jang confirmed, then he suddenly recalled something. “Maybe he is...”

“Hey everyone, please come closer. Baekhyun, especially you. I would like to introduce Hotel del Luna’s new general manager, our _special_ 100th one, to all of you.” Jieun said while looking at the guy standing next to her. 

“Hello, I’m Oh Sehun, nice to meet you. I’m honoured to be invited to join this... special place, and to serve all of you.” Sehun introduced himself briefly, there wasn’t any eagerness in his voice though.

 _Hello, I’m Oh Sehun_.

Baekhyun couldn’t believe in what he heard nor what he saw, he glowered at the tall figure besides Jieun, the colour of his eyes changed into bright red in split seconds, the colour of _blood_. 

Oh Sehun, the reason why he had been caged in this place, suffering for hundreds of years. Oh Sehun, the name he had been loathing since their last encounter under the same bright full moon. Oh Sehun, the person who reminded him of sorrow, despair and hatred.

Baekhyun felt like his whole body was burning, he was engulfed by rage. He dashed past the others and appeared in front of Sehun in the blink of an eye. Before anyone could react, he had both hands on Sehun’s neck, ready to take him by the throat and choke him to death. Sehun struggled with Baekhyun but the latter was too powerful, it was becoming harder for him to breathe.

“Stop!!! Bakehyun, you can’t!!!” Jieun screamed and grabbed Baekhyun’s hands immediately. “He is a living human being, you will end up in hell if you kill him!!!”

“I don’t fucking care!!!” Baekhyun groaned. “I’m _literally in hell_ every single day!!!”

“Baekhyun, control your anger! You are not that weak!” Jieun begged and tightened her grip on Baekhyun’s hands. She needed to act fast, or else the poor human wouldn’t last long.

“Why... what... have I done...?” Sehun’s face was completely pale, he was gasping for air. He had no idea what was going on, but he only knew one thing, he was going to die.

Baekhyun glared straight at Sehun with his reddened eyes, as if he was devouring Sehun with his murderous gaze. He didn’t say a word but kept squeezing Sehun’s neck. _The end is close, he won’t last more than a minute. He will suffocate, and I will be in hell forever_.

Suddenly, Baekhyun felt electric current passing through his body, then his vision went white.

✧  
Baekhyun opened his eyes and realised he was in an unfamiliar surrounding. He was inside a huge house, a traditional one. _This must be a wealthy family_ , Baekhyun thought. People were dressing in Hanbok, judging by the women’s _jeogori_ , it was sometime around the 16th century. He looked around the house, nobody seemed to notice his existence, the servants just continued with whatever they were doing.

A furious groan was heard near the front door, a teenage boy was pushed onto the ground by a man in his mid-forties, probably the head of this household. The young boy was tall but extremely skinny, he looked like he was dystrophic and had been starved. When Baekhyun took a closer look at the young boy, he saw that familiar gaze and his mouth slightly opened. That boy was Sehun.

“How many times have I told you not to steal food from the kitchen? You never learn huh?” The middle-aged man shouted, he pulled Sehun up and slapped him hard. Sehun fell onto the ground again, he didn’t struggle, he didn’t fight back, he didn’t make a sound. “Now get up and clean the floor, make sure you clean every inch touched by your dirty ass. I didn’t save you from your pathetic family for you to misbehave like this.”

“You look exactly like your disgusting father, you should be thankful I didn’t turn you in when they came and arrested him.” He threw Sehun a cold eye.

“My father did nothing wrong, he just trusted the wrong people! Also, treating me like a slave is not saving me!” Sehun finally spoke up, he glared at the man, eyes full of hatred.

“Then run, the moment you are out of this house, the moment you will be dead. They will be happy to know the last member of the dirty Oh family is eliminated.” The man smirked. “Either you stay here, alive, or you leave, dead.”

Sehun couldn’t stand the humiliation anymore. He stood up from the ground, turned around and trudged towards the main gate of the house. The man turned to one of his guard and made a gesture. Sehun slowly approached the entrance, he knew what was waiting for him, but he didn’t care. He had been staying in this prison, being treated as a slave, for nearly two years since his entire family was arrested and sentenced to death.

It was pointless continue living his hopeless life, spending each torturous minute alone. He stepped out of the house, he smelt the fresh air, he smelt the soil after rain, he smelt the long lost freedom.

Then it came the sound of arrows swooshing through the air, hitting and penetrating Sehun’s body one by one. Baekhyun paced up and came closer to the entrance only to find Sehun lying there motionless. 

His eyebrows furrowed. _Why am I seeing his past live_? 

✧  
“Baekhyun! Baekhyun! Stop!!!” Jieun’s cry brought Baekhyun back to reality. 

Panting heavily, Baekhyun finally loosened his grip, he didn’t realise his hands were trembling and his forehead was covered with cold sweat. Sehun collapsed onto the floor, desperately gasping for air. 

“I don’t fucking care why you are here.” Baekhyun kneeled down and said. “Mess with me, I will make sure you won’t have another chance to open your fucking mouth.” 

He then stood up and left the lobby, leaving all others shocked and terrified. 

Jieun helped Sehun get up and said apologetically, “looks like it is worse than I expected, but I’ll see what I can do. Now, follow Mr Jang to your room and have some rest. We have a lot of transition work to do.” 

Sehun nodded his head, unexpectedly calm. It seemed like the near-death experience hardly impacted him. He followed Mr Jang and vanished from Jieun’s sight together with the two guests, who apparently weren’t expecting to witness this ‘ _warm welcome_ ’ from the hotel.

 _Seems there is a lot to fix and a long way to go._ Jieun sighed.

Meanwhile, a mysterious old lady was standing in front of a small pond, watching the yellowish liquid dissolving into the transparent liquid in the pond. She smirked and wondered what would happen the next day.

_Baekhyun, it’s all fate. What will you do, when it comes to your own closure?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like the beginning so far, probably with some question marks in your head though haha. Please tell me what you think, your guesses or whatever :)


	2. Cherry Blossom Love Song 01.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Mention of funeral.

✧  
_이토록 아름다웠던  
Was the moonlight  
달빛이었던가  
Always this beautiful?  
아득히 깊어진 밤이면  
When the night grows deep  
숨었던 그리움 고갤 드네  
The hiding longing lifts its head_

✧  
Baekhyun stood in front of the entrance of an old-fashioned pharmacy. He was dressed in all-black suit, his gaze was fierce like he was going to commit murder. Of course, Baekhyun was not a human being, so he didn’t really need normal medicines. As one could expect, this mysterious place wasn’t a normal pharmacy, neither. It was hidden in a labyrinth, only those who knew it could locate it. Baekhyun pushed the door and walked pass the signboard with four words written in gothic font. _Cemetery of Forgone Memories_.

He had been here enough times to know the setting by heart. He walked down the spiral staircase to the basement. At one side of the basement, there were thousands of flasks filled with coloured liquids, next to each flask was a small gravestone. In the middle stood two ponds made of marble, yellowish liquid was flowing down from the upper layer in one pond, while the next one was just filled with transparent liquid.

Further away from the stairs was an enormous library filled with bookshelves, there were spellbooks scattered all around. Baekhyun noticed two cups of tea were placed on the coffee table, they smelt of lavender - he drank lavender tea every time he visited. _So she knows I’m coming,_ he let out a cold laugh.

An elegantly dressed old lady appeared out of nowhere and greeted Baekhyun energetically. “As expected, my favourite kid is visiting me. Come, I’ve made lavender tea for you.”

“Stop your unnecessary drama, I’m not your favourite kid. You know very well why I’m here so let’s not waste time. You asked Jieun to bring Oh Sehun back to our hotel as our new general manager, and this Oh Sehun doesn’t fucking remember me. I know you are playing tricks so I have vision of his past life. Why the hell you have to do this?” Baekhyun didn’t even bother to sit down, he just went straight to his business.

“Everything is planned, Baekhyun, _it’s all fate_.” _Mago_ smiled and answered.

“There is only one fate if you bring him near me, _I’ll kill him._ ” Baekhyun replied with a frosty look.

“Be patient, you will eventually sort this out.” Still smiling gently, Mago took a sip of her lavender tea.

“You and Grim Reaper apparently did a good job in sheltering him. I have been waiting for this moment for 1,000 years, my patience ran short long ago.”

“Don’t jump to conclusion so soon, understand before you judge.”

“You’ll regret your decision.” Baekhyun turned around and left the basement, leaving his lavender tea untouched.

✧  
“Sehun, is everything good? Perhaps I can start showing you around if you are ready?” Mr Jang asked.

“Well... if almost losing my life the first night right after I started this job doesn’t count, everything is fine so far.” Sehun responded flatly and followed Mr Jang for a short tour around the hotel. 

“I’m really glad that they found you, Jieun said you are the special one chosen by Mago, you must be really outstanding and will manage the hotel well.” 

“Who is... _Mago_?” 

“A lady who knows everything, you’ll have the chance to meet her soon. Now, let’s walk you through the operation and logistics first, you know, the boring stuffs.” Mr Jang brought Sehun to his office and started explaining what he would be responsible for.

He also told Sehun he was almost 60 years old and would like to retire after working in the hotel for 30 years, despite he really loved working for Jieun and Baekhyun. 

“You might not feel it from the start, but both of them are kind... _souls_.” There was a moment Mr Jang wanted to regard them as persons again, he had made this mistake many times before, he finally managed to get it right.

“Kind? Are you sure a person who wanna choke me to death when we first met is kind? Oh wait, did you just say... souls? Both of them are dead?” Sehun widened his eyes and questioned.

“That’s right. Hotel del Luna is always managed by souls. All the staffs here, except the general manager who needs to deal with financial and operational stuffs of the hotel, are all souls. How much do you know about souls?” Sehun mentioned the brief conversation he had with Jieun before arriving the hotel, Mr Jang supplemented a few points that Sehun probably needed to know.

“If they are souls, why don’t they move on, just like the guests?” 

“Because they can’t, their unfinished business is more... _complicated_.” Apparently Mr Jang was reluctant to talk about this in details so he switched topic, “you are not scared of what you hear or see? I’m impressed.”

“No, I’m indifferent about seeing living human beings or dead souls, blood doesn’t bother me neither. After all, human beings could be as scary as ghosts so, it doesn’t really matter.” The flat and stern tone in Sehun’s voice somehow reminded Mr Jang of Baekhyun.

“Being indifferent may not be ideal in real life, but it definitely is advantageous for this job. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll guide you through what you need to do. You are young and have so much potential, I know you can handle this job.” Mr Jang patted Sehun’s shoulder. “Now let’s go and introduce you officially to other members of our team.”

There were more staffs working for this hotel than Sehun expected. Mr Jang gathered the team leads in the lobby and introduced them to Sehun one by one - Junmyeon, head of catering and bartender of the hotel, a classy gentleman who didn’t look like a bartender. _Wine suits him better, expensive one._ Sehun thought. Jongdae, head of guest relation, he had a friendly Cheshire Cat-like smile, when he greeted Sehun he startled the taller with his loud voice. Lastly, Joohyun, head of operation and housekeeping, she was ethereally pretty, literally a stone-cold fox. Contrary to Jieun, Joohyun only dressed in monotone outfits, but the plain colour tone made her perfect features stand out even more. 

“I heard what happened yesterday night, I hope you will have a smooth start with our co-directors, sometimes they can be... quite difficult to handle, in different ways though.” Jongdae chuckled and wished Sehun good luck. 

“I’m sure Mr Jang will take good care of you so, no worries. Welcome to our family.” Joohyun didn’t want to discourage Sehun right from the beginning, but she secretly agreed with what Jongdae said, their bosses could be hard to deal with.

“Let us know in case you need anything. The best way to get to know each other is to grab a drink at our rooftop bar, just stop by and try my cocktail.” Junmyeon winked at Sehun.

Sehun just nodded and thanked Junmyeon for his offer. He followed Mr Jang back to the office and started looking at the financial stuffs.

✧  
When Baekhyun returned to the hotel, he heard someone yelling in the lobby. 

“Murderer!!!” It was Chanwoo, the pedestrian. “Today is my son’s 7th birthday if... if you didn’t hit me with your fucking Audi, I will be joining his birthday party! I’m gonna kill you!”

“Shut the fuck up! You appeared out of nowhere and I already turned the steering wheel as fast as I could, and what happened next? My car hit a concrete wall afterwards! I wouldn’t lose my life if I didn’t try to save yours!!” The driver, Kimoon, yelled back at Chanwoo.

Chanwoo was outrageous and out of control, he hit Kimoon on his face, Kimoon fell onto the ground immediately. “My wife becomes a widow, my son loses his father, all because of you. I need you to pay the price!!!” He pulled Kimoon up and hit him again.

“You are not the only one who has a family! I got a pair of twins, they are just four years old. My wife and I plan to have one more child, now this unborn child vanishes and she can only dream of the baby alone for the rest of her life! My family is also torn into pieces, if this makes you feel more at ease!!!” Kimoon raised his voice, tears started to fall from his eyes.

“Both of you, shut up.” Baekhyun stood close to the entrance and said in his low voice. “This hotel is a place for you to rest, not to fight.”

“You,” he pointed at Chanwoo, “stop playing with your victim card, you know there was no traffic light where you crossed the road, don’t you?”

“And you,” he then turned to Kimoon, “you were speeding, you were not on an expressway but you drove at almost 120 km/hr, do you really think your reaction time would allow you to turn your car before hitting him?”

“In a few days’ time, you’ll have a chance to see your family one last time. If I catch you guys arguing and disturbing the others before that, I’ll kick you out of this hotel and you’ll end up wandering around for the rest of your... _eternity_. Think twice before you mess with me.” Baekhyun glared at the two souls with an annoyed expression before he disappeared from the lobby. 

✧  
Baekhyun had been in a noticeably bad mood the entire week, noticeable, meaning every single soul (plus the only human being) in the hotel was aware of this. There was icy breeze following him wherever he went, his gaze was sharp as knife and he glared at others like he was about to peel their skin. Nobody dared to bother him, even Jieun avoided him the best she could.

He looked at the full-length mirror inside his room after he finished dressing up. He put on his favourite all-black suit and fixed his black tie. One single colour covered him from head to toe, _deadly black_. His expressionless face seemed paler than usual, eyes slightly reddened due to the lack of sleep. In case one might question, souls were like human beings in this aspect, they also needed to rest and sleep. Unfortunately, Baekhyun, a shallow sleeper, could barely sleep at all this week, thanks to the new general manager of the hotel.

What made his mood worse was he needed to start working with Sehun. They were going to accompany Chanwoo and Kimoon to meet their family before sending them off. The thought of working with someone he had been loathing for decades, no, centuries, infuriated him. He could hardly contain his anger, and he didn’t know how severe the consequence would be if he ran out of control while Jieun was not by his side.

 _Well, Mago said it’s all fate, if I happen to accidentally kill him, then it’s just... his fate._ Baekhyun thought.

✧  
Baekhyun, Sehun, Mr Jang and the two souls stood close to the entrance of a funeral parlour hall, observing the pale faces entering. Relatives, friends and colleagues of Chanwoo queued up to pay him the last visit. 

It felt strange, seeing all familiar faces gathering together, because he passed away. His own face was displayed in the center, sobs were heard from different corners of the hall. Then Chanwoo saw them, his beloved wife and son who just reached seven years old. His wife’s eyes were swollen, face white as paper, it looked like she had aged a decade in a week’s time. 

He collapsed onto the floor, weeping. There was nothing he could do, he was a soul, an invisible soul. He couldn’t touch her, couldn’t shed her tears away, couldn’t tell her how much he loves her. 

When most of the people were seated, a lady walked towards Chanwoo’s wife with two kids. She took off her sunglasses, a pair of equally swollen eyes were shown. No words needed to be spoken, Chanwoo’s wife knew who she was.

The lady kneeled down in front of Chanwoo’s wife, tears dropping silently from her face. “I... don’t know what to say. On behalf of Kimoon, I’m... sorry.”

Kimoon was in shock seeing his wife attending Chanwoo’s funeral. His wife looked two sizes smaller, her body was trembling, it broke Kimoon’s heart to see his pretty wife looking so fragile.

Chanwoo’s wife grabbed her elbow and helped her to get up. Without saying anything, she gave her a hug. 

“It’s a... devastating tragedy, but... Chanwoo crossed the road at a place he shouldn’t...” 

“But Kimoon was speeding...” Kimoon’s wife started to weep.

“Things happened already, dear... but we have to try pulling ourselves together, for them, no?” She looked at the kids, who were smiling at one another.

“Right...” The two heart-broken women stared at each other, no further words were said, but they understood everything.

It might take a lifetime to heal, they were left with no choices but to be tough for their children. 

“Baby, grandma brought you some snacks, maybe you can invite your new friends to eat together? Go.” Chanwoo’s wife kissed the forehead of her son, her son nodded.

“Let’s go!” He smiled at the twins, and they smiled back. He took the hands of the twins, one on each side, and walked towards his grandma.

Baekhyun looked at the three kids, then he turned his face towards the two souls. They were both in tears, staring at their little angels, one last time.

“We should go now.” Baekhyun commanded. 

“Can we... stay a little bit longer?” Kimoon asked, he was not ready to leave his family, he wondered if he would ever be ready for that.

Baekhyun glared at Kimoon, displeased by his request. He took a quick glance at his watch and said to Mr Jang, “bring them back by nine, you know we still have check-out and _other procedures_ to do.”

Before he walked away, his gaze finally met with Sehun’s. Baekhyun had been avoiding him all day but once their gaze met, he felt the same burning anger filling his body. 

He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “look at me like that one more time, I will make you blind before killing you.”

He then vanished from the group’s sight without further words. 

✧  
Mr Jang brought Sehun and the two souls to a side exit of the hotel. Baekhyun was standing there already, accompanied by an old lady and a middle-aged looking man. 

“Check-out is done?” Baekhyun asked Mr Jang and he nodded his head. Mr Jang just showed Sehun how to assist the guests checking out.

“Then go ahead with the rest of the procedures.” Baekhyun stood aside and let Mr Jang take the lead.

“Guests, it’s our commitment to assist you seeking your closure and to ensure a smooth transition towards your next journey. We still have some procedures to do after checking out. Now I would like to introduce two important facilitators of your transition, Mago and Grim Reaper.” 

“Please take a seat here.” Mr Jang instructed the two souls to sit next to a coffee table. “Mago is a _xian_ , with an immortal lifespan, who is in control of life and death. She is also in charge of the _Cemetery of Forgone Memories_.”

“Cemetery of... Forgone Memories?” Chanwoo was trying to process all the unfamiliar terminologies which he had never expected to hear in real life.

“As you can see, there are two potions on the table. Each of you will need to drink one potion, this drug will erase the memory of your current life, it will ensure your soul is cleansed before we proceed to the next step.”

“Wait, that means I will no longer remember my wife, my children and my friends? No! I can’t...” Kimoon reacted exaggeratedly. 

“You _have to_.” Baekhyun interrupted. “Either you drink it, forgo your memory and move on, or you stay in this life, wandering as a soul endlessly. In either case, your family will never see you again, you are invisible, you are gone forever. Mr Jang, continue.”

“After you drink the potion, the memory you forgo will be stored in Mago’s Cemetery of Forgone Memories, and you will be allowed to move on. This gentleman, our infamous Grim Reaper, will guide you to the Rainbow Bridge and prepare you for your afterlife.”

“I’ll explain what you should or should not do when we reach the Bridge, now you may wish to enjoy your drink first. I’ve heard that this potion’s taste will vary according to the individual, so I suggest you not to be scared and drink it willingly, to avoid it tasting like something... _inappropriate_.” Grim Reaper said in a solemn tone, it was his job to guide the souls through this journey regardless of their identities, but disobedient ones were never his preference.

The two frightened souls looked at each other helplessly and let out a frustrated cry.

“Do you love them?” Baekhyun looked at them and questioned, they simply nodded their heads.

“Do they love you?” Again, they nodded.

“Have you tried your best loving and protecting them while you were alive?” _Yes,_ they both agreed.

“Do you want them to overcome this trauma in future and move on?” _Yes,_ they said.

“ _It’s all fate_ , you have already done your part, loving them and protecting them while you can.” Baekhyun pushed the two potions closer to them. “If you want them to move on, you need to move on too.”

The two exchanged another glance, then they grabbed the potion and gulped it down in one go. It tasted bitter and salty, it tasted like tears, it tasted like _heartbreak_.

“On behalf of all staffs from Hotel Del Luna, we thank you for your stay and wish you a pleasant journey. Grim Reaper, please lead them to the Rainbow Bridge.” 

The two souls followed Grim Reaper and soon disappeared. 

“What will happen next?” Sehun asked Mr Jang.

“When they reach the Rainbow Bridge, they will need to cross the Bridge individually, the potion will start to work and their memories will fade away bit by bit. They need to keep walking without looking back. If they stop or turn around, their afterlife will be distorted and Grim Reaper will not be happy about that. They will spend days and nights on the Bridge until the details fo their afterlife are confirmed. Once everything is decided, they will see the other side of the Bridge and that will be their new beginning.” Mr Jang explained.

“So... our job is done once the guest drinks the potion?” 

“In most cases yes, unless issues come up when they are on the way to the Bridge, but that rarely happens.” Mr Jang smiled at Sehun, “is that too much for a day? Are you fine with all the information?”

“I guess... yes.” Sehun responded, still expressionless. 

Mr Jang noticed that Sehun had never showed any observable facial expression since he joined. “Don’t worry, just relax, you’ll manage.” He patted Sehun’s shoulder and encouraged him.

Sehun just nodded his head. While they were talking to each other, Baekhyun already left and returned to the hotel. He was obviously not in a great mood, he needed to be alone, or rather, he needed to be away from Sehun.

✧  
Half an hour later, Baekhyun was sitting in the botanic garden by himself, holding a glass of wine. He took a sip, still couldn’t get the image of the three kids, holding hands, smiling in a funeral, out of his mind. _What a life_ , he sighed. Whoever was at fault, the kids were innocent, yet their lives would be completely changed after this accident. _If they understand what has happened, will they ever smile like that again?_

He had seen enough blood, death, broken hearts, torn families and ruined souls throughout these years. Yet, it didn’t make him as hard-hearted as he thought he would be. He let out another audible sigh and closed his eyes. Maybe he was tired, maybe he just didn’t want tears to fall.

Then another thought came into his mind, Sehun. Nothing happened today, but he was not sure how long could this temporary peace last. He opened his eyes, raised his head and fixed his gaze on the withered tree nearby. Unlike the other plants in the garden, this tree never grew, never blossomed, there were no leaves, no flowers, _nothing_. It was basically dead, like Baekhyun, it was cursed, like Baekhyun.

Baekhyun heard footsteps, someone was approaching, the one in his mind. He turned around and saw Sehun walking towards him with his usual unreadable expression.

“What are you doing here?” Baekhyun asked while glaring at Sehun.

“Can we talk?” 

“No.” Baekhyun ignored him and backed away. 

“I just need facts, why you wanna kill me.” Sehun stepped forward and grabbed Baekhyun’s wrist.

Suddenly, Sehun felt something hot passing through his body, then he became dizzy and blacked out.

✧  
When Sehun opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on a branch of a cherry blossom tree near a lake. It was a clear night, full moon shining bright. He saw someone standing at the side of the lake, wearing Hanbok. That person was staring at the reflection of the moon on the lake. Sehun realised that person looked exactly the same as Baekhyun.

Sehun turned around and saw another tall figure in the dark. That person was looking at Baekhyun from afar. That person, was _him_.

Sehun was having a difficult time processing what was happening in front of him, meanwhile the _Sehun in the dream_ was walking closer towards Baekhyun.

“What are you doing here alone on such a beautiful night?” He asked.

“I’m... waiting for someone.” 

“Won’t you feel lonely waiting on your own? If you don’t mind, may I accompany you?”

“Umm.. yes sure.”

Then they started talking to each other, the atmosphere was nice, it was picturesque like a drama scene. Based on the clothes and the way they spoke, Sehun guessed it was around 1,000 years ago. From the conversation between the two, Sehun got to know this lake was located in a neutral territory separating two kingdoms, to the south and north of this area respectively. The person who looked like Baekhyun was from the South while the one who looked like himself was from the North.

“Well, then I guess we shouldn’t ask for each other’s name, for the sake of our safety.” Although he looked like Baekhyun, he spoke in a much gentler way and was constantly smiling.

The two gazed at each other, certain emotions developed, yet remained unspoken.

“Look at that tree.” The taller of the two said. Both of them turned and looked at the cherry blossom tree where Sehun was sitting, apparently they couldn’t see Sehun. “The flowers are so pretty, just like you. What about, I call you 벚꽃 _Beotkkot (cherry blossom)_?”

He picked a flower from the ground and placed it on the shorter’s hand.

“Look at the sky, the moon is at its brightest today. 만월 _Manwol (full moon)_?” 

They smiled at each other and continued enjoying their time in silence. Their shadows casted on the ground, a purple butterfly flying around them, cherry blossom petals falling due to the soft caress of the wind, tranquil lake with reflection of the moon, forming a graceful picture that Sehun knew he wouldn’t be able to erase from his memory.

“When can I see you again?”

“ _The next full moon, maybe._ ”

✧  
Baekhyun flung his hand vigorously and yelled, “don’t touch me!”

Sehun’s mind was still full of the scene he just saw. _Is that real? Baekhyun and I knew each other 1,000 years ago? Why am I seeing this now? That’s ridiculous..._

“Yah! What the hell are you doing? Leave me alone!” Baekhyun added when he realised Sehun was just standing there, motionless.

Without knowing why he was doing this, Sehun murmured two syllables subconsciously, “ _Beotkkot_...”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened instantly, he took his glass and spilt the wine directly onto Sehun’s face.

“Don’t you, _fucking_ , say these two words, ever, _ever_ again.”

Faraway, inside the _Cemetery of Forgone Memories_ , Mago was staring at the two ponds. The yellow colour vanished from the pond on the left and the one on the right was now filled with pinkish liquid. 

_Pink is the colour of cherry blossom._ Mago smirked.

_The forgone memories of that cherry blossom tree before it withered will soon be revealed. Question is, will it blossom again?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now you know why this story is called Cemetery of Forgone Memories :) A bit of their past is revealed in this ch., I laughed at myself for picking Beotkkot and Manwol as their nicknames... but it matches with the scene and the theme songs so... it is what it is lol Something happier and funnier will happen later so don’t worry. Happy reading!


	3. Your Moonlight 02.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Mention of homophobia.

✧  
_익숙해진 우리의 길 오  
Our familiar path oh  
변하지 않게 내게 남아줘요  
I want you to stay with me so it doesn’t change  
내 곁에서 oh love  
By my side oh love _

✧  
“Are you looking for me?” Sehun entered Jieun’s office and asked. 

He couldn’t help himself but stared at Jieun’s outfit. She was wearing a set of matching indigo rose-jacquard blouse and midi skirt, with a neck bow and a black belt. She stood up from her seat, with her leather black heels, she was less than half a head shorter than Sehun.

“I need some help with these annoying numbers and charts, I can never get them right. Has Mr Jang taught you how to deal with them?” Jieun passed a file to Sehun and asked, Sehun nodded. “Great, then let’s get started.” 

It wasn’t a really complicated task, Sehun managed to get them done within an hour, amazing Jieun with his efficiency.

“Wow, Sehun, you’re really the special one, you saved my life... oh wait, _not really,_ I’m dead.” Jieun laughed at herself and continued, “anyway, thanks.”

“You’re welcome, you can pass me the files and I will take care of them going forward, it’s not a big deal.” Sehun said.

“That’s awesome, Baekhyun will love this idea! He is always reluctant to let me deal with numbers, but he doesn’t have enough time to handle all by himself. Oh by the way, how’s thing going on between the two of you?” 

“Well... I don’t know. Didn’t really have much interaction these few days, I guess he is just avoiding me. I...” Sehun was hesitating if he should let Jieun know about the dream.

“Did something happen? You can tell me, I won’t bite.” Jieun smiled.

“I... touched his wrist the night after the two guests checked out then I saw some vision, it was like a dream, but it felt so real.”

“What did you see?” Asked Jieun curiously.

“I saw us, well I mean, two people looking exactly like Baekhyun and me. It seemed like they were from at least a thousand years ago and I think that was their first encounter...”

“Oh my... are you serious?” Jieun’s expression changed instantly after Sehun started describing his dream. 

“Yes, they were at a lake next to a cherry blossom tree, they mentioned they were from the North and the South... and they called each other _Beotkkot_ and _Manwol_.” 

Jieun’s heart sank when she heard this, she knew by now it was Mago’s trick, although she had no idea what Mago had in her galaxy mind.

“Okay, whatever you dreamt of, keep it a secret, don’t mention it to anyone from the hotel. More importantly, don’t ever mention these two names in front of Baekhyun.” Jieun warned Sehun.

“It’s too late. I don’t know why, but I already did so.”

“What was his reaction?”

“He was very furious and he spilt wine on my face.” 

“It could be far worse, just don’t do that again.” 

“So... does it mean Baekhyun and I knew each other a thousand years ago? What happened since then? Is it something to do with why he wants to kill me?” Tonnes of questions appeared in Sehun’s mind, he was really confused about the situation.

“Listen, I’m not in a position to disclose his past, or your past to you, I don’t have the authority to do so. What I can tell you is, I have been working in this hotel with Baekhyun for 1,000 years, he has been suffering every day, every moment. He is not the cold-blooded devil as you think, he is not a bad person at all, but life just didn’t go easy with him. There is a reason for each soul to end up in this hotel instead of moving on. When the time comes, you will eventually understand. _It’s all fate_.”

✧  
_It’s all fate. What does this mean?_ Sehun still didn’t understand, he left Jieun’s office and noticed Baekhyun was waiting for him at the lobby, stone-faced with his arms crossed.

“Go and bring her back.” Baekhyun passed a file to Sehun, it contained information of the guest of the day - Mrs Kim, a woman aged 58.

“You are not... coming with me?” Sehun opened the file and read her personal information.

“It is a natural death, I don’t see any need. Plus, I already have enough on my plate. But in case you run into trouble...” Baekhyun turned around and added before leaving, “use your brain.”

Sehun glared at Baekhyun’s back and mentally cursed him. _Use your brain. Damn it, this guy is so arrogant. He and the soft-looking guy from my dream couldn’t be the same person. Impossible._

He knew Mr Jang needed to handle some matters with Jieun so he really had to pick this lady up on his own. Sehun looked at Mrs Kim’s photo enclosed in the file, with curly shoulder-length hair in dark brown, she seemed younger than her actual age. She wore a light yellow cardigan and looked gentle. 

_She looks motherly._ Sehun’s heart sank a bit when the word motherly came into his mind. He gathered his thought and walked towards the garage to get his car.

✧  
Baekhyun was right though, there wasn’t anything surprising. Mrs Kim was waiting for Sehun in the private ward, wearing the same light yellow cardigan. 

“So, are you the Grim Reaper?” She smiled and asked. She didn’t look like she had suffered too much, yet Sehun caught the hidden sorrow in her eyes.

“No, I’m Oh Sehun, general manager of _Hotel Del Luna_ , you’re invited to have a temporary stay at our hotel and I’m here to pick you up. Please follow me, I’ll bring you back to meet our co-director for an official welcoming session.”

Mrs Kim looked confused, but she followed Sehun anyway. Once they arrived the hotel, Sehun led her into a conference room, Baekhyun was already sitting there, reading the materials he prepared.

“Mrs Kim, welcome to Hotel Del Luna, I’m Byun Baekhyun, co-director of the hotel. Please take a seat. I guess you have already been briefed about the logistics, right?” Mrs Kim took a seat opposite to Baekhyun and nodded her head. Sehun just stayed at the corner of the room in silence.

“Okay, so we can skip the introduction. Now, may I ask you a few questions?” Mrs Kim nodded again, Baekhyun’s strict face made her nervous.

“What do you think about this news article? _Country B implements stoning to death under anti-LGBT laws_.” Baekhyun read the news header with his low voice, as cold as ice.

Mrs Kim’s eyes widened, she didn’t say anything but Baekhyun noticed her hands started to tremble. Sehun furrowed his eyebrows, _what the heck is Baekhyun doing?_

“No comment?” Baekhyun smirked, “for your information, the law was halted in the end. What about this? _A third of Country P declared ‘LGBT-Free’ Zone_.”

“I...” Her voice was shaky, she looked at the table, avoided making eye contact with Baekhyun.

“Do you think a person should be discriminated, disowned, imprisoned or even sentenced to death because of that person’s sexual orientation?” Baekhyun kept his eyes on the woman, glaring fiercely.

“If you are given a second chance, will you treat _your son_ differently?” And this was the question Baekhyun really wanted to ask.

Mrs Kim was still staring at the table, frozen like a statue. A few seconds later, sobs were heard. She raised her head, face as pale as a white sheet, her slim body still trembling.

“It was the gravest mistake I have ever made in my life.” She finally spoke up after a few minutes of complete silence. “I disowned him because of my stupid traditional value and old-fashioned mindset. He was not even 20 years old back then.” Her voice was barely audible, she looked so vulnerable.

“If you have a chance now, what would you do?”

“I... don’t know. I haven’t seen him for over 10 years... It’s too late, he will never forgive me, just like I will never forgive myself...” 

“Better late than never. He may not forgive you, but it does no harm to at least let him know you support him, _now._ At the end of the day, who he chooses to be in love with doesn’t change the fact that he is your son, and you _do_ love your son, don’t you?” Baekhyun’s tone finally softened.

“There was a time when this kind of relationship was strictly forbidden in most countries. It was like a fight with no hope of winning, two persons against the entire world. People got beaten up, sent to prison, tortured or even hanged when the so-called crime they committed, was _falling in love_.” Baekhyun spoke in an indifferent tone, as if it wasn’t a big deal, but Sehun noticed his eyes gradually turned blueish. 

_So his eye colour changes according to his mood? If red means he is furious, blue means... he is sad?_ Sehun wondered.

“You need to sort this out before you can move on. We will let you know once we find him.” Baekhyun stood up and walked towards the door of the conference room.

“Bring her back to her room.” He left without even looking at Sehun for a second.

✧  
After doing some research the next morning, Sehun gathered the necessary information and met Baekhyun in the same conference room.  
“According to Mrs Kim, her son’s name is Kim Minseok, 32 years old, he studied dentistry in YS University. As far as she is aware, Minseok is determined in becoming a dentist. I checked the database, there are four dentists in Seoul named Kim Minseok, their contact information is listed here. We have no visibility to their other personal information, the only option left is to check them out one by one.” Sehun reported his findings in one go.

“Make the reservations as soon as possible, preferably tomorrow.”

Again, Baekhyun walked towards the door without looking at Sehun. A paper slipped from his folder and fell onto the ground. They both kneeled down to pick it up, their hands accidentally touching. Baekhyun drew his hand back and stood up immediately. The quick movement made him dizzy, probably because he hadn’t eaten anything since morning. He was about to lose his balance but Sehun managed to hold him on his waist. The sudden body contact made Baekhyun extremely uncomfortable, yet before he was able to push Sehun away, his body was paralysed and he felt the same electric current passing through his limbs.

✧  
Baekhyun found himself standing at the corner of a Korean restaurant when he opened his eyes. He had a quick glance on the television, it seemed like the 70s. _Another memory of Sehun’s past life,_ Baekhyun sighed.

He saw Sehun sitting at a round table with a group of friends. He was in suits and was wearing a pair of glasses. They were chatting and drinking soju, Baekhyun heard them talking about university life a decade ago. _Probably a reunion of university friends,_ he guessed. Looking around the table, the others were either couples or families with young kids, leaving Sehun the only one being singled out. 

“Hey, Sehun, you’re still on your own? All of us are married, three of us already have kids, you are lagging behind a lot!” One of his half-drunk friend shouted.

Sehun just smiled. “That’s my life, I guess.”

“You have been in several relationships before, haven’t you?” The other guy asked.

“Yah, but... none of them really worked.” Sehun sipped his soju and said.

“I bet you already lost count of how many hearts you have broken since university.” A woman, dressed in white blouse with a pink headband, teased. “Handsome guys are all untrustworthy.”

“I just... don’t know how to love them the way they want me to.” Sehun emptied his glass of soju and let out a bitter laugh, disheartened. “ _Maybe I’m born to be a loner._ ”

✧  
Baekhyun’s vision became clear again, yet Sehun’s voice was still lingering in his mind. _Maybe I’m born to be a loner._

His gaze met with Sehun’s once he gathered his thought, Sehun’s hand was still holding his waist. He immediately pushed Sehun away and left the conference room.

_A loner. Do you know how it feels to be a loner for 1,000 years?_

That night, Baekhyun was shifting left and right on his bed for over two hours and he still wasn’t able to fall asleep. He hardly admitted to anyone else, not even to Jieun, but the work he was doing was so intense and mentally demanding that even a tough soul like him felt emotionally drained from time to time. As a result, he had been suffering from insomnia for decades.

He only managed to have a couple hours of shallow sleep. Waking up with an exhausted body, he opened his wardrobe and picked a plain black T-shirt with a pair of jeans. He matched them with a black belt and a pair of black leather shoes.

Sehun was already waiting for him at the lobby. He was dressed in a black logo T-shirt with the word _peace_ printed on it, a pair of grey jeans and black sneakers. A black cap and a pair of glasses completed his casual yet stunning look. Baekhyun couldn’t help but had his eyes lingering on Sehun longer than they should. 

They didn’t say anything and walked pass the corridor towards the elevator in silence. Sehun was stealing glances at Baekhyun when he was standing at the corner of the elevator. It was the first time Baekhyun wasn’t wearing formal clothing, he didn’t know Baekhyun could look so good. The simple way he dressed made his good-looking face more noticeable. Although he was still dressing in dark colour, casual wear made him look slightly more approachable.

As expected, they drove to the first dental clinic without saying anything. A reservation for teeth cleaning was made under Sehun’s name and his name was called five minutes after they arrived. Baekhyun just sat on the couch and waited for Sehun to check on the dentist. Half an hour later, Sehun returned to the reception area, Baekhyun stared at him and he simply shook his head.

“Not this one, this Kim Minseok is in his 50s, almost as old as Mrs Kim.”

“Next one then.” 

They then drove 20 minutes to another dental clinic. Sehun looked at Baekhyun, wondering if he had to get his teeth cleaned again. Baekhyun sat down, took a book out from his bag and started reading. Sehun sighed, _okay, that means it’s me again._

Unfortunately, it was still not the right Minseok. Sehun left the dental room, slightly annoyed. _He must think I’m crazy, why I have to get my teeth cleaned when they are literally sparkling?_ Sehun secretly rolled his eyes.

Baekhyun raised his eyebrows, waiting for Sehun to tell him what he had found out. Sehun shook his head disappointedly again.

“This Kim Minseok said his parents are currently travelling in Hawaii.”

“Fine, next one then.”

“Wait.” Sehun stopped Baekhyun when they were about to leave the clinic. “I still needa do it twice?”

“Well, if the next one is the right one, you don’t have to.”

“It’s... getting suspicious, the second Minseok was already judging me. Can’t you do it for once?” Sehun asked.

“First, I’m your boss. Second, I have my private dentist, I don’t like these dirty humans touching any part of my body.” Baekhyun responded with a disdainful glare.

“So your dentist is a ghost?”

“ _A vampire._ Vampires take good care of their fangs, they’ve got the best dentists.” Baekhyun paused, _why am I responding to this brat’s questions?_

“Anyway, you have two options, either you continue doing it, or I punch you on your mouth so you have another legitimate reason to visit a dentist.”

 _End of the discussion._ They got onto the car and headed towards their next destination. A couple of minutes after they arrived, the door of the dental room was opened and a guy came out, it was the third Kim Minseok. 

Both Sehun and Baekhyun were looking at Minseok, he looked quite young, he should be at similar age as Mrs Kim’s son. Minseok noticed them and he smiled gently.

“Sehun? Please come in.” He said. Sehun followed him and entered the dental room with a sigh. 

They didn’t talk much, apart from Minseok questioning why Sehun was here because his teeth looked perfectly fine. However, intuition told Sehun that this was the Minseok they were searching for, and he knew he was right when Minseok threw him an unexpected question before he left the room.

“The one accompanying you here... is he your friend? Like... _a close friend_?” He asked, but he immediately added, “well, that’s fine if you don’t wanna answer.”

“No, just a colleague.” Sehun wanted to confirm his suspicion, “why ask so though?”

“Nothing, I just think he is cute.” Minseok chuckled. “But don’t say anything to him please.”

Soon, Sehun’s name was being called and he went to the counter to settle the payment. He saw Minseok approaching Baekhyun and they started talking. Minseok was obviously trying to hit on Baekhyun. He saw them exchanging numbers, Baekhyun even smiled at Minseok. _So, he does know how to smile and be nice._ Sehun rolled his eyes. _But, he looks good when he is smiling... wait, what am I thinking about?_

Baekhyun noticed Sehun was staring at him, he walked towards the taller and warned him, “I hope you remember what I said last time. I will make you blind if you keep staring at me.” 

When they were back on the car, Sehun initiated the conversation. “So, he should be the right one.”

“How do you know?” Baekhyun challenged him.

“His age, his appearance - his eyes resemble Mr Kim’s, and... he was checking you out from head to toe just now, he said you are cute.” 

“ _Superficial._ ” Sehun wasn’t sure if Baekhyun was referring to Minseok or to him. “He mentioned he graduated from YS University, it matched with Mrs Kim’s description. We just need to reconfirm it when we are back.” 

Baekhyun unlocked his mobile, showing Sehun a photo of Minseok he sneaked while they were in the clinic. 

“If this is confirmed, what should we do next?”

“Isn’t it your job to figure that out? Huh?” Baekhyun then closed his eyes and rested. Sehun continued driving in silence, thinking about the next step.

✧  
Mrs Kim burst into tears when Baekhyun showed her the photo of Minseok on his mobile. It was indeed her son, her only child whom she hadn’t seen for over 10 years. She continued weeping, she regretted so much for being heartless and acting so cruelly towards her child, yet, she no longer had the chance to apologise to him face to face. 

“We will try our best to help you.” Sehun comforted her and passed her a box of tissues. He then told Mrs Kim what he suggested her to do and what needed to be prepared. After that he turned to Baekhyun, “but that would need... your help.”

Baekhyun was sitting opposite to Sehun, arms crossed, expression unreadable. He remained silent, but eventually agreed with a nod.

Three days later, Baekhyun and Mrs Kim paid Minseok a visit during his lunch break. They were both in soul’s form, meaning Minseok wouldn’t be able to see either of them. It was just in time when the parcel was delivered to the clinic. Minseok put it on his desk, looking at it suspiciously. Still, he decided to open it. 

He was shocked, he couldn’t believe it. It was his favourite model car which he forgot to take with him by the time he left his family. It wasn’t just a model car, it contained his childhood memories with his parents. Tears started to fall when he saw a rainbow flag attached to the car. There was also a photo inside the parcel, a photo of him and his mother taken at his high school graduation ceremony. That was the last photo he had taken with his mother, before she turned away and disowned him.

Minseok flipped the photo, there was a short paragraph written in black ink pen, he recognised the neat handwriting immediately. _Once my beloved son, forever my beloved son. I’m sorry, for being the worst mother, for realising my mistake too late, for no longer being able to apologise in person, for not even giving you a hug one last time. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I sincerely hope you will stay healthy and live happily. In another life, if I have the chance, I’m willing to do anything to compensate, anything. Minseok, I love you._

He held the photo tightly, tears dropping onto the desk. “ _Omma..._ ”

Mrs Kim let out a long sigh, she was also weeping in silence. Baekhyun patted her shoulder gently. They stayed there until Minseok resumed working with his reddened eyes. Mrs Kim took one final look of his beloved son before leaving Minseok’s clinic.

“Thank you, for everything you’ve done.” Mrs Kim mumbled after calming herself down.

“No need to thank me, thank the one who spent two hours copying your handwriting.” 

A normal human being wouldn’t be able to see a soul, not to say his or her handwriting. Therefore, Sehun spent an afternoon trying to copy Mrs Kim’s graceful handwriting before writing at the back of their photo on her behalf. 

“Yes, you’re right. I’ll thank him once we are back.”

That night, Baekhyun took his spare mobile out and sent Minseok a message. Minseok read the message the next morning and tried to call Baekhyun back at once, but he was being redirected to a voice message, saying the phone number was no longer in use.

The only message Minseok ever received from the cute guy, was the address where his mother was buried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t want to follow all incidents happened in the original HDL series so I made something up on my own and... sorry to Sehun’s teeth lol The two news articles are real but I prefer not to mention the countries there, here are the links:  
> https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47769964  
> https://balkaninsight.com/2020/02/25/a-third-of-poland-declared-lgbt-free-zone/  
> Let’s have our fingers crossed and hope for a better and fairer world. As always, comments are welcomed :)


	4. Cherry Blossom Love Song 02.

✧  
_지키지 못한 약속들이  
Promises that couldn’t be kept  
별들처럼 떠다닌  
Floated up like stars  
긴 밤에 불어온 바람 그대 숨결인  
The wind that blows over the long night  
것만 같아 괴로웠다  
Felt like your breath, it tortured me_

✧  
Standing at the private ward of a hospital, Baekhyun stared at the baby boy he was holding, a 15-month old toddler. He seemed much smaller than most of the babies of same age, probably due to sickness. This unfortunate boy had some health condition and didn’t make it through. Baekhyun’s eyes were reddened, enraged by the fact that this poor soul had been neglected till the very last minute of his short life. Based on what he read from the file and what he overheard from the nurses, this boy had been staying in the hospital for months and the only person who had visited him a couple of times was his grandmother. His parents didn’t want a child, let alone a sick one. They never came to see him, never regarded him as their son. The only thing they ever did for him was to settle the medical bill on a monthly basis.

Sehun could feel Baekhyun’s rage even he wasn’t saying anything. Baekhyun took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger while looking at the baby. He caressed the baby’s cheek and held him close.

“Let’s go home, _cheonsa_ (angel).” He whispered.

Baekhyun remained silent all the way back to the hotel, he just kept holding the baby tight. Sehun glanced at the rear-view mirror, Baekhyun’s expression was unreadable as usual, but there was some subtle emotion in his eyes that were no longer red. _Is that sadness?_ Sehun wondered.

It was already past dinner time when they arrived the hotel. Baekhyun went straight to his bedroom and commanded before he entered the room, “find some milk and diapers, and ask Joohyun to bring me a baby crib.”

Baekhyun shut the door right after his finished his sentence. Sehun found Joohyun in her office and sought her assistance. 

“Go talk to Junmyeon, he should know where to get the right type of milk powder for toddlers. I will bring the baby crib and diapers to Baekhyun.” Joohyun said.

Joohyun was right, Junmyeon was able to get him the milk. Sehun returned to Baekhyun’s room, he knocked the door before entering directly. It was the first time he went inside Baekhyun’s bedroom. The room was spacious but unlike the guest rooms, the design was simple and soft, it made people feel comfortable but at the same time, it didn’t really match with Baekhyun’s strong personality.

Baekhyun took the milk bottle from Sehun and started feeding the baby right away. Without anything to do, Sehun just stood still, observing Baekhyun. The way he looked at the baby was completely different from the way he looked at the others, it was much gentler and full of tenderness. It reminded Sehun of that Baekhyun he saw in his dream.

“How many times do I have to repeat myself, that I’m gonna make you blind if you keep staring at me like that?” Covering the baby’s ears, Baekhyun glared at Sehun and murmured in a low voice.

“I’m... sorry.” Sehun couldn’t help himself, certain indescribable feelings inside his heart refrained him from turning away from Baekhyun. 

Baekhyun didn’t expect Sehun to apologise, but he chose to ignore it. Turning his focus back to the baby, he wiped the baby’s mouth after the milk bottle was emptied. He put the bottle on the nightstand and commanded Sehun again, “change his diaper.”

Sehun’s eyes widened at Baekhyun’s order and he mumbled, “I... I don’t know how to change a diaper.”

“Do I look like I know how to change it then?” Baekhyun glared.

“But you know how to feed a baby?”

“But one doesn’t necessarily imply the other? Find someone who knows how to do it then.”

10 minutes later, the clueless duo stood besides Mrs Kim, looking at her changing the baby’s diaper. 

“Now you should know how to do it, but feel free to let me know if you need help.”

“Thanks, sorry for disturbing you at this late hour.” Baekhyun said.

“You’re welcome.” She left Baekhyun’s bedroom together with Sehun, who needed to throw the rubbish away and bring the milk bottle back to Junmyeon.

 _Should I go back and check on them?_ Sehun thought after he finished all the remaining work for the day. He kept debating with himself but he was already standing in front of Baekhyun’s bedroom before a conclusion was drawn. _Okay, just one look to make sure they are fine._ He opened the door and stepped inside.

Baekhyun was sitting at the edge of the bed, facing the window. Sehun could only see the side profile of his face, he looked stunning under the dim light. Baekhyun was staring at the baby with the same gentle gaze, holding and swinging him slightly. He was humming a lullaby, trying to put the baby to sleep. Sehun lost count of how long he had been standing there, he was too indulged in Baekhyun’s melodic voice. 

_Can someone possibly have dual personalities like him? What if... this is in fact the real him?_ Sehun wondered. _If this side of Baekhyun is indeed the real him, what happened in the past could make a soft and kind person change completely?_ It was already past mid-night, Sehun decided to call it a day and returned to his own room.

✧  
The sunlight shone through the thin curtain, it was already eight in the morning when Baekhyun opened his eyes. He wondered why he wasn’t waken by the baby’s cry. He immediately looked at the baby crib, realising the baby was nowhere to be seen. He put on his cardigan and left his bedroom hurriedly, turning his head left and right to look for the baby.

Baekhyun finally found him in the garden. Sehun was sitting on the garden bench, feeding the baby. Baekhyun let out a sigh of relief and walked towards them, Sehun heard the footsteps and raised his head.

“Good morning.” Sehun said, he didn’t expect a response from Baekhyun so he just continued talking. “I didn’t wanna wake you up so I brought him here. You... look like you are in need of some proper rest.”

Baekhyun sat down and took the baby from Sehun. “Go and look for Mrs Kim, she should check out today. Also, mention to her that I’ll need one more favour from her.”

“What do you need?” Sehun asked.

“Do you think a toddler can cross the Rainbow Bridge on his own? Huh?” 

“Ah, so you want Mrs Kim to bring him across the Bridge.”

Baekhyun nodded his head, continued feeding the baby when Sehun returned to the hotel to look for Mrs Kim. The baby smiled cheerfully when he was full, he stared at Baekhyun fondly with his innocent eyes. Baekhyun took a deep breath and forced a smile on his face.

“ _Cheonsa_ , you are beautiful, you know.” Baekhyun whispered softly. “This world has been cruel to you, but soon a lady will come, she will bring you to a very beautiful place. Have you ever seen a rainbow? The lady will show you how a rainbow looks like, she will accompany you to the other side of the Bridge... and there you will find your new beginning.”

The baby kept smiling, as if he understood what Baekhyun was saying. He grabbed Baekhyun’s thumb with his tiny hand, Baekhyun smiled back and continued. “Promise me, you will be strong, you will grow up healthily and will enjoy your blissful life. I wish... I will never ever see you again.” 

He held the baby close to his chest and hummed the same lullaby again. This was the last thing he could do for this soul. Sehun and Mrs Kim were standing afar, looking at them. Baekhyun’s tenderness surprised Sehun again. _Maybe Jieun is right, he really isn’t a bad person._ Sehun thought.

Mrs Kim walked towards Baekhyun and smiled at the baby, “dear little one, are you ready for our little excursion?”

✧  
The two of them finally vanished from Baekhyun’s and Sehun’s sight. Baekhyun continued standing there, remaining motionless. Sehun heard Baekhyun’s heavy breathing sound, he turned around and realised Baekhyun was sobbing. Baekhyun was looking at the floor, a few drops of tears fell down his cheeks in silence. 

Then, Baekhyun suddenly clenched his fists and raised his head. The sadness on his face was gone, only resentment was left, well shown in his reddened eyes. He hurried back to the hotel in a quick pace.

“Where are you going?” Sehun noticed Baekhyun’s sudden mood change and was worried that he would do something impulsive.

“I’m gonna find them, that fucking couple.” Baekhyun shouted, having a face like thunder, anger written all over it.

“What are you gonna do then? You can’t kill them!” Sehun approached Baekhyun slowly, he wasn’t sure how to calm him down but there wasn’t enough time to look for Jieun.

“I don’t care. They needa pay the price!” Baekhyun quickened his pace but before he reached the door, he felt a strong grip on his wrist and the next instant he was pulled around. His face crashed onto Sehun’s chest when Sehun wrapped both arms around him forcefully.

“Calm down!” Despite Baekhyun’s resistance, Sehun tightened his grip and caged the smaller inside his embrace. Baekhyun kept struggling, yet he was completely paralysed when he gradually felt the warmth radiating from Sehun’s body. _Warmth, the real warmth from a living body, not from the heater, not from the sun, not from... his memory._

“How can people be so cruel, abandoning their child, leaving their baby suffer such a painful death alone. These people deserve to be in hell!” Baekhyun gave up fighting, he collapsed in Sehun’s arms and said faintly.

“But you don’t deserve to be in hell _because of them_.” Sehun pressed Baekhyun’s head against his chest, petting his hair gently. It was the first time for him to have such intimate contact with someone. He had no idea why he did that, but at that particular instance all he wanted to do was to hold and comfort Baekhyun.

✧  
Sehun knew the vision was coming, he felt hot fluid passing his body and his head became heavy. When his mind became clear a few seconds later, he was sitting on the same branch of the cherry blossom tree. It was another night, with a full moon on the dark sky.

He saw the two sitting side by side, _Beotkkot_ leaning his head on _Manwol_ ’s shoulder, humming a song. The melody sounded familiar, it was the song Baekhyun sang when putting the baby to sleep. 

“It’s been almost two years since we met.” _Beotkkot_ said, even his speaking voice sounded like a soothing melody. 

“Yes, time flies, it’s another full moon.” _Manwol_ wrapped his arm around the smaller’s shoulder and said.

“I’ve got something for you.” _Beotkkot_ gifted _Manwol_ a painting, it was a painting of the lake, with a full moon and a cherry blossom tree. “I didn’t paint us as you know... just to be safe.”

“We are there, the moon and the flower represent us, no? Thank you, I love it.” _Manwol_ tightened his grip, he brought the smaller close and kissed him on his lips. They kept pressing their lips together, unwilling to part. 

“And I love you.” _Manwol_ added after the kiss that lasted for a good while.

“I love you too.” _Beotkkot_ held _Manwol_ ’s hand and confessed timidly.

“ _Promise me, you will tell me your name one day._ ” He raised his head and added while staring at the taller.

“ _One day, I promise._ ” _Manwol_ smiled at his lover, they kept sitting there, enjoying the peaceful moment with each other’s accompaniment in silence.

Sehun was still sitting on the branch, feeling complicated. His heart was beating fast, new emotions that he hadn’t experienced before flooded all over his mind when he saw them holding one another, staring at each other affectionately, kissing enjoyably with their eyes closed.

✧  
“Yah, let me go!” Baekhyun yelled and pushed Sehun’s chest. Sehun didn’t know for how long he had been holding Baekhyun, the only thing he knew was his heart was beating equally fast when Baekhyun was staring at him at such a close distance. His eyes wandered from Baekhyun’s eyes down to his lips. _They were kissing, we were kissing._

Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows when he realised Sehun had been fixing his eyes on his lips. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Sehun finally loosened his grip. “Just don’t do anything impulsive. If you are sad, we... we can talk.”

“Keep your empathy to yourself, I don’t need it.” Baekhyun turned his head and went away, feeling extremely awful.

He went straight to the rooftop bar and asked Junmyeon for two shots of whisky, he needed strong alcohol. Surprisedly, he found Jieun, dressed in all black, sitting outside alone. She was holding a glass of red wine, looking dispirited. He took his shot glasses, walked outside and took a seat next to Jieun.

“Had a tough day?” Baekhyun asked, Jieun turned around, looked at him with her miserable eyes.

“Horrible.” She took a sip of her wine. “Murder. A stomach churning scene with lot of blood. Obviously a painful death. I would freak out if Mr Jang wasn’t there with me... it was his last schedule... I’m gonna miss him...” She sighed.

“Jieun, you know you could have left that to me.” Baekhyun wrapped his arm around Jieun’s shoulder and patted gently. Jieun slowly rested her head on Baekhyun’s shoulder, seeking some comfort.

“You don’t look much better than I do, Baek, is something wrong?” 

“Just an unlucky sick toddler with two bastards as parents.” Baekhyun drank his whisky, he thought about the baby’s parents and became furious once again.

“What about... _him_?” Jieun knew Baekhyun probably wouldn’t look _this_ awful if it was just for the unfortunate baby.

“I... I don’t know.” Baekhyun finished his shot before he continued. “He doesn’t remember anything about us, I can’t just take my revenge like this, it’s... _not fair_. Yet, it’s so irritating, the way he looks at me. He keeps staring at me these days, I don’t know what is he thinking about.”

“Did he tell you... that he is seeing visions of your past life? You know, at the lake...” 

_So it happens to him as well?_ Baekhyun thought, realising Mago probably was playing the same trick on Sehun as well. 

“You should take a rest.” Baekhyun didn’t want to discuss this further, he urged Jieun to rest, seeing her yawning multiple times already.

“Right, probably I should.” 

They went indoor and saw Sehun talking to Junmyeon at the bar table. Ignoring Sehun, Baekhyun pulled Jieun close and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “Sleep well.”

Jieun gave Baekhyun a hug and left the rooftop bar. Sehun could feel something weird when he saw Baekhyun kissing Jieun’s forehead and Jieun hugging him back. He hadn’t felt like that before, he disliked this feeling, as much as he disliked the proximity between the two.

Baekhyun asked for another two shots and went outside on his own again. Junmyeon looked at his boss and asked Sehun, “did something bad happen?”

“There was a baby who was abandoned by his irresponsible parents, no one was with him when he died... it made him mad.”

“Ah, that’s why. As cold as he might be, Baekhyun always has a soft spot for children, no wonder that made him sad.” Junmyeon finally understood the miserable look on Baekhyun’s face. “Life’s tough.”

“Yah, how can they... manage?” Sehun was referring to Jieun and Baekhyun. “I mean, how can they deal with life and death every day, for such a long time? I can’t imagine how hard it could be.”

“Neither can I. Sehun, none of us will ever truly understand how stressful they are and how bad they suffer. We are not in the best position to ask or interfere neither, we have to let them deal with it. _They only have each other,_ to a certain extent.”

“They seem really... intimate.” Sehun said rather flatly, he didn’t realise the sourness in his statement.

“They have been supporting and healing each other since the beginning, they are like... _soulmates_ , just not in a romantic sense.”

The conversation died down, Sehun finished the cocktail Junmyeon prepared for him while stealing occasional glances of Baekhyun. A short while later, Baekhyun walked towards the two and put the shot glasses on the bar table. He turned away without a word, staggered all the way to the spiral stairs.

“Is he drunk?” Sehun noticed Baekhyun’s unstable steps.

“His alcohol tolerance is pretty high, but he just had four shots.” Junmyeon shrugged his shoulder, “perhaps you should go and check on him.”

Sehun nodded and followed Baekhyun back to his bedroom. Baekhyun threw himself onto the bed and passed out facing down. Sehun let out a sigh, he then helped taking off Baekhyun’s shoes, flipped Baekhyun’s body over, unbuttoned the first two buttons of his dress shirt and tucked him into the bed properly. 

He took a wet towel from the bathroom and wiped Baekhyun’s face, his cheeks were rosy and he was letting out soft whimpering sounds from time to time. After cleaning Baekhyun’s face, Sehun started wiping his neck, then chest. He noticed Baekhyun’s facial expression turned tense, his brows frowning. He was murmuring something incomprehensible then suddenly he grabbed Sehun’s hand with both his hands. 

_Looks like he is having a nightmare._ Sehun wondered if Baekhyun had nightmares often due to stress. He sat at the edge of the bed and let Baekhyun hold his hand. Baekhyun’s tense expression didn’t ease at all and he started sweating again. Sehun turned around and lay down next to Baekhyun, using the other hand to wipe the sweat from Baekhyun’s face. 

Sehun was debating if he should just leave Baekhyun alone. He, again, felt the urge to stay besides him and comfort him. Yet, the rational side of his brain reminded him that Baekhyun would for sure not like the idea of seeing Sehun next to him when he woke up.

“Don’t...” Baekhyun tightened his grip on Sehun’s hand and cried, “don’t go...”

 _Okay, let’s just hope tomorrow won’t be the end of my life._ Sehun wished before he wrapped his arms around Baekhyun and closed his eyes.

✧  
Baekhyun felt an unfamiliar warmth surrounding him, he opened his eyes gradually. Still being affected by the alcohol, he felt heavy headed. It took him a couple of seconds to clear his mind, the first thing he noticed once his brain started functioning properly was the pair of arms on his waist and the chest right in front of his face. He tilted his head and couldn’t believe his eyes. Oh Sehun was sleeping inside his bedroom, on the same bed, next to him, arms on his waist. 

Sehun noticed Baekhyun’s movement and he opened his eyes as well. He had a nice long sleep, he never knew that sleeping while hugging someone could be so comfortable. However, he knew his moment of peace had officially come to an end when he saw Baekhyun’s burning glare.

“What the fuck are you doing here???” Baekhyun glowered at Sehun and shouted, he flung Sehun’s arm away and sat up from the bed.

“You were drunk last night. It was you who asked me not to leave.” Sehun also got up.

“What time is it now?” Ignoring Sehun’s explanation, Baekhyun randomly threw a question while undressing himself before putting on a dress shirt. 

Sehun couldn’t move his gaze, he kept staring at Baekhyun. He felt like he was sinning, but he just couldn’t resist it, Baekhyun’s bare back looked so tempting.

“Ummm.. it’s 10:10 now.” Sehun replied, little bit too slow in reacting.

“Shit.” After getting changed hurriedly, Baekhyun rushed outside and saw Jieun walking towards him at the corridor.

“Ahhh Baek, you are here! I’m worried about you.” Jieun said with a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry, I... I overslept.” Baekhyun responded, slightly embarrassed.

“ _Overslept_? Am I hearing you correctly? A morning bird who never wakes up later than eight overslept till almost 10:30?” Jieun’s eyes widened, she simply couldn’t relate Baekhyun with oversleeping or being late.

“Yah... I just...” 

Before Baekhyun could finish the sentence, Sehun walked out from Baekhyun’s bedroom and said, “hey your... your watch.”

Jieun eyed both of them suspiciously. Sehun knew he probably appeared at the wrong time, he quickly excused himself and vanished from their sight.

“Oh gosh, you two...” Jieun exclaimed in her high-pitched voice when Baekhyun and she were alone in the conference room.

“No, it’s not like that.” Baekhyun interrupted her without explaining further.

“But you overslept, which already is a once-in-a-life thing.” Jieun looked at Baekhyun mischievously, “and apparently he was staying in your room last night. It means something, definitely.”

“Shut up.” 

“Baek, you have to be honest with me. I’m the only one in this world whom you can share your secret with. Now tell me what happened.”

“... I was drunk, he sent me back to my room. I don’t know what happened next, but I woke up in his arms, and he said I was the one asking him not to leave. That’s it.” Baekhyun narrated what happened plainly, as if he was an outsider.

“But oversleeping means you did sleep well, did’t you? He cured your sleeping issue that have been bothering you for decades.”

“That was the effect of the whisky.” Baekhyun was still reluctant to admit the fact that Sehun’s presence had such impact on him.

“You _know_ it wasn’t just because of the whisky.” Jieun gave up arguing with this stubborn man, she paused for a few seconds, picking the right words from her mind. “How do you feel... waking up in the arms of the man you’ve loved so long, after all these years, decades, centuries?”

Baekhyun remained silent for a while, there was too much in his head right now. 

“I don’t love him, not anymore, not after he ruined my life.” It was the only answer he gave. “The only thing left is hatred, I _hate_ him.”

“He won’t stand a chance on the first night if you really hate him to that extent.” Jieun said, she put her hand on top of Baekhyun’s. “No one will ever consider _fairness_ when taking revenge on someone they loathe, Baek. You could have easily ended him and yourself at the same time, but you didn’t. That already speaks a lot.”

“I’m not forcing you to open up to me right now, but in case you want to talk, I’m always here for you.” Jieun didn’t want to push too far so she decided to end this conversation. “But I’m really curious to see how will your _soul cleansing day_ go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know if the visions are confusing to you guys so I decided to copy my comment here: Basically the chapters named “Cherry Blossom Love Song” include visions from Sehun’s POV about Baekhyun (Beotkkot), i.e., how he and Baekhyun met each other 1,000 years ago, while the chapters named “Your Moonlight” include visions from Baekhyun’s POV about Sehun (Manwol), i.e., Sehun in the 70s, in 16th century etc., those are all Sehun’s different lives as a normal human being. 
> 
> Baekhyun and Sehun only met in that particular life 1,000 years ago so he didn’t know what happened to Sehun after they both died. Sehun reincarnated, started another life, lived and died on repeat like all other humans do, but Baekhyun remained as a soul.
> 
> Hope everything is clear now! How do you feel about the soft side of Baekhyun in this chapter? There is finally some progress between them, and something cute (?) is coming up soon :)


	5. Your Moonlight 03.

✧  
_깊어진 너의 달빛이 꿈에서 보여요  
I can see your deep moonlight in my dreams  
똑같은 너의 하늘은 몇 번을 더 보아도  
Even if I look at the same sky over and over again  
난 행복해 나에겐 언제나 넌 꿈이야  
I’m happy, you’re always a dream for me  
이미 넌 충분해  
You are good enough already _

✧  
_Soul cleansing day_ was a tradition of Hotel Del Luna, which basically was a day-off for all the souls working for the hotel. On this day, no new guests would be accepted to the hotel, no check-out would be arranged and the hotel would be operating on self-service mode. Actually, all staffs had regular time-off, but most of the time they just spent the day resting in the hotel. A ground rule for soul cleansing day was that all staffs would be required to leave the hotel, this aimed at persuading them to go outside to wherever they want and have a proper rest. 

Jieun would only do one thing on that day, crazy shopping. She and Joohyun would spend the entire day in different shopping malls, trying out outfits of the latest season from every luxury brand. It was not like she didn’t shop throughout the year, however, since Baekhyun was strict with expense management, he would forbid Jieun from overspending. Therefore, this day would be the only chance she could really go _crazy shopping_ , it was for sure Jieun’s favourite day of the year.

Junmyeon usually spent the day with Jongdae. Since Joohyun would be with Jieun 99% of the time, he never succeeded in asking her out on soul cleansing day, even he would definitely love to do so. The two men would just walk around the city, visit exhibitions, have lunch at some well-known restaurants (since Junmyeon, the head of catering, was really picky about food), sit by the river and relax. Working at the hotel was far less stressful for them compared to Baekhyun and Jieun, they simply treated it as an additional vacation without paying too much attention to it.

Baekhyun used to spend the day with Mr Jang, who was very fond of nature. He would bring Baekhyun to different parts of the city, they had tried hiking, fishing, biking, swimming, all sort of activities that allowed you to stay close to nature. He indeed knew the best way to help Baekhyun relax. Now that Mr Jang was gone, it would be Sehun’s responsibility to think of what to do. Baekhyun wondered how could he possibly relax when Sehun was gonna be by his side the entire day. Sehun was also having a headache making a plan. He gathered Junmyeon, Jongdae and Joohyun at Luna cafe and sought their urgent assistance. 

“Sehun, what is your plan?” Junmyeon asked.

“I have no idea.” Sehun shrugged his shoulder.

“Well, just bring him to the places you go with your dates. I bet he had seen enough mountains and seas with Mr Jang.” Joohyun giggled.

“I... I have never been on a date before.” Sehun said. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea neither.”

“You look literally like a male god and you have never been on a date before???” Jongdae yelled, little bit too loud. He quickly took a sip of his iced chocolate to hide his embarrassment.

“No... I was just not interested in anyone back then, and I started to get busy after graduating.” 

“I can’t believe it, you’ve never dated nor caught feelings for someone. What a waste.” Joohyun sighed. 

_Caught feelings for someone_ , Sehun wondered if his recent abnormal emotions and reactions indeed meant he had caught feelings for someone, someone who hated him.

“Anyway, listen to us, bring him to some trendy places in the city where young people usually go. Let him experience something different.” Joohyun insisted.

“Will that work?” Sehun was still hesitating about this suggestion.

“Worth a try, Sehun. Baekhyun isn’t willing to talk to you, what are you two gonna do if you are in a mountain? Talking to the trees or singing with the birds?” Junmyeon offered his sincere comment, Jongdae rolled his eyes and Joohyun chuckled.

“Alright, I’ll think about that.” Sehun sighed. He still had two days to make up his mind, he hoped he would be able to come up with something workable.

✧  
The team gathered at the lobby, ready for their time-off. Jieun and Joohyun were wearing matching denim outfits. Jieun was dressed in a black off-shoulder top with a denim mini-skirt, she also put on her favourite beret. Joohyun wore a denim jacket with a leopard-print mini skirt. Their glamorous outlook caught everyone’s attention, even Baekhyun gave them an approving nod.

Baekhyun himself was also dressed in a light-blue denim jacket with a white T-shirt inside. The foodie duo, Junmyeon and Jongdae, were wearing smart casual outfits as they planned to have lunch in a Michelin restaurant. 

“Sorry, I’m late.” Sehun appeared with his stunning-as-usual look, coincidentally he was also dressed in a denim jacket. He fixed his gaze at Baekhyun, who had just bleached his hair white, he felt his heart skipped a beat. Not sure if it was due to the light hair colour, Baekhyun’s pink lips stood out more and Sehun might have stared at them for too long.

“Wow, Sehun, you’ve joined our matching denim squad!” Joohyun smiled. 

“You and your man look good together huh?” Jieun winked at Baekhyun and whispered.

“Shut up!” Baekhyun gave her a warning glare.

Arriving the garage, they were ready to start their little break. 

“Everyone, have fun and enjoy! Get your soul cleansed, relax, eat lots of delicious food and don’t fight with each other!” Jieun clapped her hands and said cheerfully. 

“I hope you will return in one piece. Good luck.” Jongdae chuckled and patted Sehun’s shoulder, Sehun just politely smiled back.

Before Baekhyun got on the car, Jieun approached him and said, “enjoy your date!”

She immediately rushed towards her car where Joohyun was waiting, not giving Baekhyun any chance to scold her. 

_Damn, this is definitely not gonna be a date._ Baekhyun cursed in his mind.

✧  
They arrived at a crowded area, _Insadong_ , which was packed with people on a Saturday afternoon. It was a traditional neighbourhood, yet it was also brimmed with modern handcraft stores, trendy boutiques, fork art galleries and restaurants. 

“Where are we?” Baekhyun asked.

“ _Insadong_. You haven’t been here before?” Sehun followed their suggestion and decided to bring Baekhyun to somewhere lively and popular among youngsters.

“None of our guests died in this neighbourhood before.” Baekhyun shook his head and replied flatly.

‘Oh... well... should we just walk around then?” The atmosphere was filled with awkwardness, the memory of that night and the visions of their past life kept flashing back, Sehun felt his heart beating abnormally fast again when he recalled that particular scene, when they were kissing each other by the lake. 

The two walked around _Ssamziegil_ , a complex with plenty of interesting shops and art exhibitions. Sehun was observing Baekhyun all the way. Baekhyun didn’t look as intimidating as before, ever since Sehun started paying more attention to him, he felt like Baekhyun indeed had a hidden soft side, which resembled the one he saw in his vision. 

Baekhyun wasn’t really fond of visiting shopping malls, he preferred buying whatever he needed online. Yet, unexpectedly, he was interested in handcraft art, handmade accessories and those small creative products he had never seen before. His curious eyes were wandering here and there when they walked up the spiral walkway, he kept asking “what’s that”, “why does that look so weird” and “how to use that”. Sehun didn’t really keep himself up with the latest trend but luckily he had been here a couple of times before, allowing him to answer most of Baekhyun’s questions.

Baekhyun picked up a pair of socks, furrowed his eyebrows and said, “what are they doing with these weird socks, a _Shin Ramen logo_? _Gangnam Style uncle_?” 

Sehun couldn’t help himself but chuckled, “Guess they just find them... cute?”

“I don’t understand.” Still furrowing his eyebrows, Baekhyun continued walking up the walkway. 

They soon reached the sky garden and decided to take a break, Sehun asked Baekhyun to wait for him there. He returned 20 minutes later with a drink on his hand, Baekhyun was leaning on the bar, staring at the clear blue sky. 

“Hey, try this.”

“What’s this?” Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows again, looking at the drink.

“Bubble tea! You know Gangnam Style uncle but not bubble tea?” Sehun chuckled again, he didn’t even realise he had been laughing a couple of times already within an hour’s time.

“What’s so funny?” Glaring at Sehun, Baekhyun was still hesitating if he should take the drink.

“Try, I didn’t put poison in it.” Finally obeying, Baekhyun took the cup from Sehun and took a sip. It was sweet and the tapioca balls were chewy. Baekhyun found the taste interesting and he took a few sips more through the straw. The sweetness sort of lightened his mood and he actually liked it. 

While Baekhyun was enjoying this little treat, Sehun was having another mental battle with himself. He found himself staring at Baekhyun’s lips again, he didn’t miss any second of Baekhyun pouting his lips, drinking through the straw, chewing the tapioca balls, finally licking his lips quickly with his tongue. There was an urge growing inside him, that he wanted to taste Baekhyun’s lips, just like the way Baekhyun tasted his bubble tea.

“Like it?” Sehun asked, it took a few seconds for Baekhyun to swallow the tapioca balls in his mouth. 

“Yah.” Baekhyun kept his reply short, but in fact he really loved its taste.

“Good.” Sehun said, then, in the most natural way he could manage, he grabbed Baekhyun’s hand who was holding the bubble tea, brought it close and took a sip himself.

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun’s eyes widened at Sehun’s sudden action, he questioned, almost yelling.

“I’m not sure if you’d like it so I only bought one cup, I’m thirsty.” Sehun said, “and by the way, this is my favourite drink too.”

After taking a few sips, he gave the cup back to Baekhyun. Baekhyun hesitated a bit before he continued drinking. 

“Where did you get this?” Baekhyun asked.

“There are a few bubble tea shops nearby, it’s a pretty popular and common drink.”

“Hmmm... ask Junmyeon to add this to our cafe menu.” 

“... What? You want to add bubble tea to the menu of Luna cafe?” Sehun repeated, shocked by Baekhyun’s wild idea.

“Yah, why not?” Baekhyun shrugged his shoulder, ready to continue their walk.

“Well, as you wish... you are the boss...” Sehun doubted if adding bubble tea to a luxurious hotel’s menu was a good idea, he was curious to know Junmyeon’s reaction - he probably would faint.

✧  
They arrived their next stop half an hour later, it was a cinema. Considering the fact that Baekhyun didn’t like talking to him at all, Sehun thought bringing him to the cinema sounded logical and wise. 

It had been a while since Sehun last watched a movie with anyone. He had always been busy... which was an excuse. He didn’t have close friends, that was the real reason. He usually went to cinema on his own or in most cases, he just waited until the movie became available online. He wouldn’t deny that the plan he made for the day also consisted of things he wanted to do, or to be more precise, things he wanted to do with Baekhyun. 

They were seated at the last row, sharing a box of popcorn. Both of them focused on the movie at the beginning, but one of them was turning his head to steal glances at the person sitting next to him from time to time. Sehun wondered if Baekhyun liked what he planned for him, Baekhyun didn’t show any appreciation so far, but he didn’t look mad neither, which was already a miracle. 

Under the dim light, Baekhyun’s silhouette looked flawless. Sehun already lost count of how many times he had been staring at Baekhyun’s lips that day, what he knew was that urge was still there, and it was intensifying minute after minute. 

“What do you think about it?” Sehun asked after the movie ended.

“I don’t understand what’s the point of this 3D stuff apart from making everyone dizzy.” Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows, again, but he eventually added, “but the movie itself... is not bad.”

Not bad, in Baekhyun’s dictionary, was already a compliment. In fact, he loved the movie but he just refused to acknowledge it in front of Sehun.

“You like dystopian story, don’t you.” Sehun said. “I saw quite a lot of dystopian novels on your bookshelf.”

Sehun’s attention to details surprised Baekhyun. He just nodded and didn’t say anything.

“I... I thought you’d hate spending time with me so... probably movie would be the best choice.” Sehun admitted. “Also, I don’t have many things planned for the day...”

Baekhyun looked at Sehun, then he suddenly realised he hadn’t thought about death and blood at all this day. There was some strange feeling accumulating ever since the day he woke up in Sehun’s arms. Sehun’s presence constantly reminded him of their loving but painful past, yet, Baekhyun didn’t really feel enraged when Sehun was with him the whole day, instead, he just felt... _complicated_.

“It doesn’t matter, that’s... fine.” Baekhyun murmured.

They left the cinema and continued wandering around Insadong. It was close to evening time, the street got more crowded. The two were walking side by side, shoulder to shoulder. A small boutique caught Baekhyun’s attention, he entered the shop, Sehun following behind him. 

Sehun walked around the shop, occasionally stopping and looking at the variety of accessories they were selling. He seldom bought accessories for himself, he barely wore any of them apart from his watch. He eventually found Baekhyun at the corner, looking at some pendants. 

“Wanna buy anything?” Sehun approached him and asked. Baekhyun shook his head, turned around and walked outside.

The shopkeeper walked towards Sehun and smiled, “your lover kept looking at that pendant, I guess he likes it.”

She pointed at a pendant, with the shape of a moon. Sehun’s heart fluttered, _a moon_? 

“He... is not my lover, but thanks anyway.” Sehun smiled politely and left the shop. 

When the two were back onto the street and turned around a corner, Sehun accidentally bumped into a guy.

“I’m... sorry.” Sehun’s voice turned shaky when his gaze met with the guy’s.

“Wow, Oh Sehun, haven’t seen you for a long while, looks like you’re doing good huh?” That guy spoke in a frivolous tone.

“Not bad.” Sehun responded unwillingly, with a displeased expression. Baekhyun noticed the sudden change in atmosphere, he stood next to Sehun, observing the two in silence.

“You hardly changed huh, look at you! You’re still that sanctimonious guy who got big-headed just because you were good-looking and were the professor’s favourite. You always distanced yourself from others acting as if you were superior to anyone else, you thought you really were a thing back then, didn’t you.” That guy snorted.

“Don’t judge me if you don’t know me.” Sehun said flatly, he wanted to leave this guy but his way was blocked.

“Ahha, wait, you got yourself a cute boyfriend!” That guy eyed Baekhyun with a mischievous grin. “The friendless dude who didn’t get along with anybody, whose mother had left him for good, whose father preferred work over his own son, finally got someone willing to baby him? That’s miraculous, isn’t it?”

This ill-mannered guy infuriated Baekhyun, he saw Sehun clenching his fists, apparently trying to suppress his anger. Before Sehun raised his fist and hit the guy, Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Sehun’s body, grabbing his lower arm.

“Hun, why this kind of bastard managed to get into your prestige university?” Baekhyun said softly in a completely different tone. Baekhyun’s reaction caught Sehun off guard, he took a deep breath, lowered his fist without saying anything.

“You may have grown up in a complete family, but it’s pathetic that your parents failed to teach you basic manner.” Glaring at the guy, Baekhyun spoke in his usual cold voice. “Good luck to you, cos I don’t think any decent human being would be willing to baby a person like you, with such a contaminated soul.”

The guy immediately froze, Baekhyun’s cute face suddenly became intimidating like a monster, his glare was so fierce which made the guy feel like his body was being torn apart.

“I’m hungry... let’s go for dinner?” Turning his head back to Sehun, Baekhyun asked, again in his soft voice. Sehun felt like his burning anger was instantly calmed by the soothing way Baekhyun spoke. 

Baekhyun smiled at him, took his hand, and walked pass the guy who was now standing still on the street, speechless after hearing Baekhyun’s powerful words. Baekhyun loosened his grip when they reached the end of the street. 

“Thanks... for defending me.” Sehun said, he already missed the way Baekhyun held his hand. 

“I’m not doing this just because of you. The sight of that jerk annoyed me, I need to teach him a lesson.” 

“But still... thank you.” 

Sehun was truly grateful for Baekhyun standing up for him, it also proved that Baekhyun had a righteous side. On the other hand, Sehun’s heart kept racing when he recalled Baekhyun speaking softly and even smiling at him. It was the very first time since Sehun started working in the hotel that he saw Baekhyun smiling at him. It reminded Sehun of his vision, of their past. Whenever Sehun remembered their past, his mind would eventually end up in the two of them holding each other close, their lips connecting. He shook his head and forced those thoughts out of his mind.

“You... you should smile more often, you look good when you are smiling.” Sehun spoke his mind out without any second thought, and he immediately regretted it. Baekhyun stared at him with an unreadable expression, but unlike what Sehun expected, he didn’t yell at him.

“I’m hungry.” Baekhyun ignored what Sehun had said. Indeed, he had stopped lifting the corners of his mouth for a long, long while. He barely recalled the last time he grinned in front of anybody. With so much burden on his shoulder and in his mind, Baekhyun hardly felt any positive emotions, he just forgot how to be genuinely happy. It was difficult, if not impossible, to smile more often. 

✧  
They had fried chicken and beer for dinner. Sehun had no memory of the taste of the fried chicken, he was chewing his food absentmindedly while staring at the one sitting opposite to him. _Baekhyun’s lips are distracting, they look so perfect and... kissable._ Sehun could hardly get his eyes off Baekhyun’s glossy lips. 

“Like the food?” He asked Baekhyun, also trying to distract himself from staring for too long.

“Hmm, I don’t eat this often... but it’s good, you?”

“I like it, it’s _delicious_.” Sehun responded, but what was in his mind was, _I like your lips more, they look more delicious_.

When they finished dinner, it was already dark outside. With chilly wind blowing, the neon lights of the neighborhood blazed, crowds of people continued filling up the street. They decided to spend another 30 minutes or so on the street before returning to the hotel. The curious Baekhyun was back when he saw a booth at the side of the street.

“What’s that?” He pointed at the booth and asked.

“A photo booth. We can go inside and take a look.” Sehun led Baekhyun into the photo booth. The two sat down on the bench, Baekhyun looked at the instruction and the sample photos displayed on the machine. 

“Wanna try?” Without waiting for Baekhyun’s answer, Sehun started inserting coins into the machine.

“What are we supposed to do?” Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows again, he didn’t understand why people needed to go inside a booth to take photos when camera and smart phone existed.

“Well, pose like them, or smile, or just do whatever you will do when you take photos?” Baekhyun’s puzzled expression made Sehun chuckle. While Sehun was talking and Baekhyun was still furrowing his eyebrows, a shutter sound came with the strong flash, the machine started counting down for the next photo and the two were still clueless on what to do.

“I’m not gonna grin like an idiot nor making a stupid V sign.” Baekhyun glared at Sehun, annoyed. “What’s so funny?”

“You will end up getting 10 photos of yourself frowning your eyebrows, glaring at the camera with your pissed face.” Sehun was still giggling and another shutter sound was heard.

“This is so dumb.” Baekhyun slightly pouted his lips when he said the word _dumb_ , “you human beings are so dumb.”

The way Baekhyun pouted his lips while being mean made Sehun’s heart thumping fast again. He could feel the adrenaline rushing towards his brain, his cheeks were probably flushing.

“This is not dumb, and people don’t come here just to make a V sign.” Sehun said.

“Then what else?” Baekhyun tilted his head, looking at Sehun curiously. 

“Hmm...” Sehun knew he was losing his mind, but he couldn’t resist the temptation any longer. “Like this.” He put his large hand on Baekhyun’s nape to bring him close and at the same time leaning forward to press their lips together.

It was the first time Sehun kissed someone, and the one he was kissing wasn’t even a human being. Yet, Baekhyun’s lips were really soft, they were dangerously addictive, they tasted like heaven. 

Baekhyun was shocked by Sehun’s bold action and his eyes widened, waves of memory started flashing back in his mind. It was the same person, the same pair of lips kissing him tenderly centuries ago. He didn’t know how to react, but he eventually gave in, closed his eyes and let Sehun continue tasting every bit of his lips.

They were pressing their lips together gently, with a couple of shutter sounds and flashing in the background. None of them seemed to want the kiss to stop, when their lips finally parted, Sehun already wanted to lean forward to chase the just lost connection. Instead, he extended his hand to caress Baekhyun’s cheek.

The moment Baekhyun felt Sehun’s warm hand on his cheek, the familiar current passed all over his body and his vision blurred.

✧  
It was the place Baekhyun hated the most, he was inside a hospital. Judging by the medical facilities, it looked like he was back to at least 200 years ago. Inside the ward were a couple of nurses, one was treating the patient and the other two were talking. A middle-aged man was lying on the sickbed, apparently unconscious. Baekhyun looked at the man and immediately let out a heavy sigh. Sehun was lying there, looking pale, sick and almost lifeless.

“He doesn’t look good, the infection has worsened.” The taller nurse said.

“Yah... I guess it’s just a matter of time.” The other nurse said, “what a poor guy. He’s been here for over two months, no family nor friends have ever visited, not even once.”

“I’ve seen so much sorrow in his eyes, I doubt if he has any will to survive at all.” Both of them turned their head and looked at Sehun, lying there, motionless.

 _Is he in pain, or is he at peace? Is this ending a relief to his misery, or just a beginning of another cursed life?_

✧  
Baekhyun’s mind returned to reality with three words repeating in his head, _another cursed life_. Sehun was staring at him admiringly, hand caressing his cheek. It was the same gaze, the same touch, the same kiss. It was the same Sehun.

And yet, it was just _another cursed life_ , for both of them. What should he do, when everything appeared to be exactly the same with the only difference being his heart was no longer beating?

Sehun noticed Baekhyun’s eyes turned blueish and watery, it didn’t look like Baekhyun’s usual self, he suddenly looked fragile and vulnerable. “Are you... sad?”

A drop of tear rolled down Baekhyun’s cheek, he stood up and rushed outside before Sehun had a chance to wipe it away from his face. Panting heavily, Baekhyun called a taxi and returned to hotel on his own. 

Jieun was sitting on a couch, reading her favourite fashion magazine at the lobby, she knew something was off as soon as she saw Baekhyun dawdling back to his office.

“Baek, why are you alone? Where’s Sehun?” Jieun grabbed Baekhyun’s elbow and asked, she was even more worried when she saw Baekhyun’s blue eyes.

“I don’t know.” He continued his way to his office without saying anything further.

A couple of minutes later, Sehun entered the lobby, anxious expression on his face.

“Yah! What have you done to Baekhyun?” Jieun pushed Sehun’s chest and yelled. “I’ve never seen him like this before.”

“I... I did something wrong.” Sehun sighed, he still didn’t understand why could he possibly be out of his mind like that.

“What?” Jieun’s tone softened after seeing Sehun’s concerned face.

“I... _kissed_ him.” Sehun sighed again, “I just couldn’t control myself.”

Oh, this wasn’t something Jieun had expected. “Do you... like him?”

“I don’t know.” Sehun sighed the third time, “I never liked anyone before.”

Jieun stared at Sehun, debating in her mind if she should give him a hand. “Baekhyun is in his office and he is in a pretty bad mood right now.” 

“It’s... my fault.” Sehun was still blaming himself, that hurt expression on Baekhyun’s face was too shocking.

“Talk to him, remember to be honest. He is probably weak and emotional now, but he won’t harm you. You know he suffers from insomnia, don’t you?” Sehun nodded and Jieun continued, “I know you have your way to calm him and make him rest. Do it, he needs that.”

✧  
Sehun entered Baekhyun’s office and saw the petite figure standing next to the window, a glass of red wine on his hand, an empty bottle on his work desk. Baekhyun heard footsteps approaching, but he didn’t turn his head, he kept looking outside, dull expression on his face.

“I’m... I’m so sorry.” Sehun stood behind Baekhyun, murmured in his baritone voice, almost like a whisper. 

“I told you many times, I _hate_ you.” Baekhyun turned his head and stared at Sehun blankly, “why you have to do this to me?”

“I can’t get you out of my mind.” Sehun confessed. “Ever since I started seeing visions of our past live, I have those scenes on repeat in my mind everyday. The way you looked at me, the way you spoke to me, the way you held me and... the way you kissed me, they all have an impact on me emotionally and... physically. I shouldn’t have kissed you all of a sudden, but I just can’t help myself from staring at your lips the entire day.”

Baekhyun sighed frustratedly, Sehun stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Baekhyun from behind.

“I have no clue what have I done to make you loathe me like this... but I hate seeing you looking miserable and heart-broken... I’ve never felt this way towards anybody before, but I know _this_ , is not empathy.” Sehun continued whispering into Baekhyun’s ear.

Baekhyun let out a cold laugh, “my heart was not broken, it was literally _stabbed_.” 

“Baek...” Sehun could hear the sorrow from Baekhyun’s slightly shaky voice. “Will you let me... help you?”

Baekhyun kept looking at Sehun with his pale face, his eyes were no longer blue. 

“You can help me by staying away from me.” He put the empty glass on the desk and left his office. 

Lying on his bed, Baekhyun had thousands of thoughts battling in his mind, that bottle of wine probably wasn’t enough to secure him a proper rest. He forced his eyes shut, his breath was still heavy when he gradually fell asleep.

Outside Baekhyun’s bedroom, a tall figure was standing there, holding the spare key to the room. Sehun knew it was not a right thing to do and it would probably enrage Baekhyun further, but he was so worried, too worried to care about the consequence. Sehun entered Baekhyun’s bedroom and saw him sleeping with an unease expression on his face, fists grabbing his blanket tightly.

Baekhyun was mumbling something in his dream, cold sweat started falling from his forehead, he was probably having nightmare again. He kept struggling in his dream and suddenly he screamed aloud. Sehun quickly rushed towards Baekhyun’s bed, lay down next to him and pulled him close.

“Shhhh, it’s okay, I’m here.” Sehun petted Baekhyun’s hair and whispered. Baekhyun subconsciously wrapped his arms around Sehun’s waist, his painful expression made Sehun’s heart ache.

Sehun continued stroking the smaller’s back to calm him and pressed a soft peck on his forehead. Baekhyun’s breathing finally became stable after a while. Sehun let out a sigh of relief and wondered, _how can he withstand this alone for so long...?_

Luckily, Baekhyun wasn’t struggling anymore and was sleeping peacefully inside Sehun’s embrace. Sehun tightened his hug and rested like that for a few hours. Before the dazzling sun started shining through the curtains, Sehun opened his eyes and carefully slipped away from Baekhyun’s bed without making a sound.

Baekhyun rubbed his eyes and woke up from a sound sleep, feeling like he had been sleeping for one whole day. It was 10 in the morning, he was puzzled when he saw the time on his watch. A bottle of red wine could never get him to sleep till 10, there must be something else.

 _That familiar warmth._ Baekhyun wrapped his arms around his own body. _It was not a dream, it was real._

_It was Sehun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed their cute date (Baek: it’s not a date). It’s basically Sehun staring at Baekhyun’s lips 24/7 and Baekhyun furrowing his brows 24/7. I’m gonna post some pics related to this chapter on twitter probably tomorrow :D also, new characters gonna appear soon, this implies... some drama is coming up haha. Happy reading and have a nice week!


	6. Cherry Blossom Love Song 03.

✧  
_스쳐가는 바람에 내게 떨어지는  
With the blowing breeze  
벚꽃 잎은 그댈 닮아 이리 쓸쓸한가  
The cherry blossoms falling on me resembled you  
칼에 벤 상처 보다 더 깊게 아려온  
How lonely this feels, it hurt more than a wound from a cut  
그댈 새긴 가슴  
When I engraved you in my heart_

✧  
Branches of the withered tree were swaying in the wind, sound of the breeze echoing like a melancholic anthem of solitude. Up in the sky, the luminous moon was hiding behind passing dark clouds. Down on the earth, Baekhyun was sitting alone in the botanic garden, staring blankly at the lifeless tree. 

Two days after the soul cleansing day, Sehun got a call from a hospital in Canada, the doctor told him that his father, who was currently working in Toronto, had been hospitalised and needed to undergo an urgent operation. Having no other relatives in Toronto, Sehun had no choice but to book the earliest flight the next day and flew across the Pacific Ocean to look after his father. He had been at the other side of the earth for a week now.

Baekhyun had been having mixed feelings the entire week, especially when he recalled what happened that day. That kiss brought back all long lost memories, the awakened scenes were flashing back in Baekhyun’s mind, deep and overwhelming emotions engulfing him. He wondered why, after all these years of hardship, he still gave in to Sehun so easily. He wondered why, he wasn’t able to loathe Sehun the way he had rehearsed a million times. He wondered why, after Sehun had hugged him to sleep twice, he started to find his room unbearably cold in Sehun’s absence.

 _It’s all fate._ He recalled what Mago said in the _Cemetery of Forgone Memories_. He began to realise why things happened at this point of time, not 200, not 500, not 700 years ago. Mago and Grim Reaper had been teaching him a lesson in the cruelest way - by letting him deal with all those incidents revolving around love and hatred, life and death, on a daily basis. His rage was moderated little by little over the centuries, he should have realised this when he couldn’t kill Sehun right on the spot on the first night.

 _Then, how to seek his own closure, if killing Sehun isn’t an option?_ Baekhyun’s thought drifted to his visions about Sehun. He could feel the uneasiness in Sehun’s past lives. Those pieces of memory all led to loneliness, misery and lack of love. Had he always been unfortunate all these years? Baekhyun didn’t know the answer, he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to know neither.

 _Another cursed life._ The only thing he knew for sure was, they were both suffering. He raised his head and looked at the dark sky, the moon was nowhere to be seen. He exhaled deeply before he got up and returned to his room. He knew another sleepless night was waiting for him.

At a barely noticeable corner, a couple of tiny green buds started to grow on the branches of that lifeless tree.

✧  
Returning to his empty and freezing room with a tired body, Baekhyun threw himself onto his soft mattress, curled up on his bed and forced his eyes shut. After a while, he started to relax and drifted to sleep. It felt like a wonderful dream, he was surrounded by that familiar warmth. He turned around and scooted closer to the heat source, letting out a contented whimper.

Sehun smiled when he felt Baekhyun’s arms on his waist, hugging him tightly. He arrived Seoul after 14 hours of flight, the first thing he did after getting back to the hotel was to check on Baekhyun. He saw the familiar struggle on Baekhyun’s face, he shook his head and wondered if Baekhyun could ever get a proper sleep. 

Taking off his jacket, Sehun slipped into Baekhyun’s bed carefully and wrapped his arms around Baekhyun from behind, Baekhyun’s body was freezing. _No wonder he curled himself up like a ball,_ Sehun thought. 

Making sure Baekhyun was lying comfortably on his chest, Sehun pressed a soft peck on Baekhyun’s forehead and murmured a _“sweet dreams”_ , before closing his eyes and fell asleep within minutes.

Baekhyun rubbed his eyes when he felt sunlight penetrating through the curtains. His motion froze when he saw Sehun sleeping peacefully besides him, arms on his waist. The most unbelievable thing was, Baekhyun also had his arms on Sehun’s waist. Baekhyun immediately flung Sehun’s arms away and got up from the bed. 

_Shit, it was 10:40am already._

Baekhyun got changed in a hurry and left his room, he decided to deal with the guy who was sleeping soundly in his room later. He had an appointment with Grim Reaper at 11am and he definitely wouldn’t want to arrive late.

✧  
Sehun woke up past noon, realising he was the only one in the room. He quickly returned to his room and got changed. The rest of the day was uneventful as Baekhyun was nowhere to be seen. Jieun, wearing a shocking pink sleeveless dress, threw him a suspicious glance, and he ended up admitting he spent the entire night in Baekhyun’s room.

“Oh, lovebirds, can’t imagine you being so clingy.” Jieun smirked and said exaggeratedly.

“It’s not like that, I... I’m just worried about him.” Sehun let out a barely audible sigh. “It seems like he is having nightmares all the time.”

”But not when you’re with him, no?” Jieun smiled.

“Yah, he slept quite well... but I’m still worried.” 

“And you still refuse to admit you like him, all the affection is shown on your face!” Jieun giggled. 

“It doesn’t matter whether I like him or not, he hates me.”

“You know what’s meant by _one’s bark is worse than one’s bite,_ don’t you? Let’s be honest, he doesn’t hate you like that.” Jieun placed her hand on Sehun’s shoulder, reassuring him.

“Where is he though?” Switching the topic, Sehun wondered where did Baekhyun go.

“He has an appointment with Grim Reaper about a special mission today.” 

“Special mission?” Sehun raised his eyebrows and asked curiously.

“Yup, Grim Reaper and Mago are restricted by certain rules, so they need us to complete some tasks on their behalf. They pay us generously, but it usually requires a hell of work.” Jieun didn’t explain further, she just didn’t feel like disclosing too much details in view of the potential danger.

“Is it gonna be dangerous?” Asked Sehun, with a concerned expression.

“This one’s gonna be challenging, but we will manage.”

✧  
After checking his appearance thoroughly, Baekhyun locked the door of his room and was ready for his mission. He was dressed in a white translucent silk dress shirt, first two buttons unbuttoned, revealing his collarbones. He wore a pair of tight black leather pants, an item he would never put on unless it was necessary, like tonight. 

Baekhyun saw Sehun walking towards him at the lobby, he quickened his pace but was still stopped by the taller.

“Where are you going?” Sehun grabbed Baekhyun’s elbow and asked.

“None of your business.” Baekhyun turned around and flung Sehun’s hand away.

Baekhyun looked completely different with makeup, heavy eye-liners and gold glitter eyeshadow magnified his ethereal beauty, his eyes were literally sparkling. Sehun found it hard to move his gaze from Baekhyun, his pretty eyes, his appealing lips and... his sinfully seductive neck and collarbones. 

“It’s almost 11, you shouldn’t go out alone.” _Especially when you are dressed like this,_ Sehun added in his mind.

“I said it’s none of your business. Let me go.” Baekhyun walked towards the elevator, didn’t want to waste time arguing with Sehun.

“Is this something to do with Grim Reaper’s mission?” Sehun followed after Baekhyun and asked, almost shouting.

Baekhyun entered the elevator without answering Sehun’s question, he was about to close the elevator door but Sehun managed to get in. 

“I’m going with you.” Sehun learnt his lesson quickly, he stopped asking questions. 

✧  
They arrived the destination half an hour later - a newly opened gay bar named _Ashes. Ashes, whatever remains after a substance is burnt._ Baekhyun took a quick glance at the neon sign and headed towards the entrance.

“What are you gonna do in this gay bar?” Sehun knew Baekhyun wasn’t gonna explain himself, but he asked anyway.

“Shut up, and stay here.” Baekhyun paused for a second, “I’m saying this one last time, whatever happens inside is none of your business.”

The bar wasn’t too packed at this hour, Baekhyun caught the attention of majority of the men once he stepped inside. Many of them were eyeing this gorgeous stranger with a flirty grin on their face. Ignoring those dirty glances, Baekhyun looked around the bar to quickly scan through all faces. He then decided to stand at a corner next to the bartender and asked for a shot of whisky. He didn’t need any unnecessary attention, his target had noticed him already.

Baekhyun knew he was right when he felt a hand on his waist, that tall guy lowered his head and whispered towards Baekhyun’s ear, “you look more and more stunning each time I see you, Baekhyun.”

“Kai.” Baekhyun turned around and called that guy’s name while remaining expressionless. “We have some unfinished business to settle.”

“We are not strangers, Baekhyun, call me Jongin.” Jongin smirked. “Since you rarely visit me, why don’t we have some fun and talk a bit before... settling anything?” 

Jongin tightened his grip and pulled Baekhyun close, the intimacy and his mischievous smile made Baekhyun extremely uncomfortable.

“We have nothing to talk about.” Baekhyun tried to push Jongin away but was in vain, Jongin was just too strong. 

“What about...” Jongin stroked Baekhyun’s back back and forth with one hand, he put the other on Baekhyun’s nape to bring him even closer, “we talk about that handsome gentleman standing near the entrance who looks like he wants to peel my skin?”

Baekhyun immediately turned around and saw Sehun standing afar, glaring at them furiously. _What is this bastard doing here?_ Baekhyun cursed in his mind. He stared at Sehun and mouthed the word “leave”.

“So he is your new general manager?” Jongin smirked again, his hand was still caressing Baekhyun’s back. “Looks like you two have a thing.”

“There’s nothing. Get your hands off me.” Baekhyun responded coldly.

“What if I don’t want to?” Jongin wrapped both hands on Baekhyun’s waist, leaned forward and whispered, intentionally blowing some air into Baekhyun’s ear, “do you see my bestie standing right next to your handsome lover? If Kyungsoo attacks him, do you think he will be fast enough to escape? Should we bet?”

Jongin loosened his grip a bit and stared at Baekhyun, he didn’t miss the slight distress in Baekhyun’s eyes. 

“Leave him alone. It’s an issue between us.” Baekhyun kept his tone calm, trying to act unaffected.

“Ahha, so I’m right, even Baekhyun has weakness. _Interesting._ ” Jongin teased, he touched Baekhyun’s lips tardily with his thumb, “give me a treat, then we discuss in private, deal?”

Baekhyun didn’t say anything, he wanted to refuse, but he couldn’t. He knew Sehun could never get away alive if Kyungsoo attacked him. Humans stood no chance to win when they fought with... _non-humans._

Jongin approached Baekhyun slowly and pressed their lips together. It felt sticky and disgusting, it made Baekhyun want to throw up. 

“Hmmm, you taste so good.” Feeling satisfied, Jongin took Baekhyun’s hand and led him to the stairs at the back of the bar. “Now let’s go somewhere more... private.”

Still standing near the entrance, Sehun felt like every single cell inside his body was burning. That blonde guy was touching and kissing Baekhyun, _his_ Baekhyun. Sehun could see the reluctance in Baekhyun’s eyes, it didn’t look like he wanted that guy to touch or kiss him, but he didn’t refuse him neither. 

He knew Baekhyun asked him to leave and wait outside, but he had a feeling that something bad was gonna happen. He definitely wouldn’t want to risk Baekhyun’s safety, even if he wasn’t technically... alive.

Sehun took a deep breath and walked towards the back of the bar, where the blonde guy and Baekhyun vanished from his sight.

✧  
Jongin brought Baekhyun to a spacious room on the first floor. The room was dark, Baekhyun could barely see the surrounding clearly under the dim yellow light. He noticed there were some glass bottles on the left side of the room, the bottles seemed to be empty, but Baekhyun knew what was inside. _Ashes._

“Welcome to my exhibition room. Usually I don’t have time to entertain people, but since you are my VIP, I’m arranging a private tour exclusively for you.” Jongin wrapped his arms around Baekhyun from behind, whispering again, “take a good look now, because you’ll become one of them soon.”

“You’ll become one of my collection soon. _Mine._ ” Jongin pressed a kiss on Baekhyun’s right ear, then his lips followed the trace down to Baekhyun’s neck, he leaned forward and started sucking Baekhyun’s collarbone. Baekhyun bit his lips, clenched his fists, he counted down from 10 in his mind, preparing for his attack.

Yet, before Baekhyun reached for his arms, the door was forced open and he heard a familiar voice groaning, “don’t you fucking touch him! Let him go!”

Baekhyun’s mind went blank for a second before he pulled himself together and yelled, “I asked you to fucking leave. _Leave!_ ”

But Sehun wasn’t leaving, instead he was dashing towards Jongin. 

“Your little human lover is brave, huh.” Jongin smirked and took out a knife from his pocket. 

Baekhyun knew he needed to act fast. He freed himself from Jongin’s hug, kneeled down and grabbed his mini pistol hidden inside his leather ankle boots. He stood up and fired immediately. 

At the same time, he saw Jongin hurling the knife at Sehun before groaning in pain. Without hesitation, Baekhyun rushed towards Sehun and shielded him with his own body, they both fell onto the ground and Baekhyun let out a cry.

Suddenly, white mist permeated the room, filling the room with the aroma of lavender. By the time Jongin’s vision became clear again, Sehun and Baekhyun were gone.

✧  
Sehun opened his eyes and found themselves inside an unfamiliar bedroom. He was still holding Baekhyun tightly, the two of them were on a king-sized bed. Baekhyun’s back was injured and was bleeding, he looked pale.

“How are you feeling? I don’t know where we are but... maybe I can go and see if I can fetch some medicine...” Sehun sounded extremely worried, seeing Baekhyun’s white dress shirt now soaked with blood.

“Shut up, bastard.” Baekhyun’s voice was little shaky, he was obviously in pain. “We are in Mago’s place, she was probably the one rescuing us. She will come to us soon.”

“But you are bleeding...” Sehun didn’t dare to move an inch, he let Baekhyun lying partially on top of him so that the wound on his left side wouldn’t touch the mattress.

They heard footsteps and saw Mago approaching. “Ohhh my favourite kid, look at you, poor thing.” 

“I’m not your favourite kid.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes, “but still, thanks for saving us.”

“My pleasure. Sehun, it’s the first time you are here right? Let me deal with Baekhyun’s injury first, then I’ll show you around and we can talk, alright?” Mago smiled at Sehun and Sehun responded with a nod.

Mago instructed Sehun to undress Baekhyun. The wound wasn’t too severe but there was some poisonous substance on the knife that made it hurt more than usual.

“The pain should ease soon. Have a good rest and I will take a look at it again tomorrow.” Mago petted Baekhyun’s head gently, then she turned to Sehun and said, “you should be glad that you were not the one who got stabbed. There was poison on that knife and it could easily end your life.” 

Mago lighted some candles before leaving the two alone in the room. Sehun carefully wrapped his arms around Baekhyun, trying to keep his shirtless body warm.

“Are you still in pain?” Making sure he wouldn’t touch Baekhyun’s wound, Sehun pulled him little bit closer and apologised, “I’m really sorry.”

“Which part of ‘stay outside’ and ‘leave’ do you not understand?” Baekhyun glared at Sehun and mumbled the words out with slight difficulty.

“I... I saw that dude touching and kissing you... I was so furious and I lost my mind. I didn’t know it will end up like this...” Sehun sighed, his arms were trembling when he recalled the moment Baekhyun got hurt while protecting him.

“You heard what Mago just said, you will lose your life within seconds if he gets you. He is not the souls you are dealing with on a daily basis.” Baekhyun felt Sehun’s shaky body and he finally softened his tone, “just don’t ever do this again.”

“If this ever happens again... you don’t have to save me.” Sehun didn’t know why he let those words out of his mouth, but he really didn’t want to see Baekhyun get hurt because of him again.

“You want me dead anyway, don’t you.” Sehun added half-jokingly after a few seconds.

There was one whole minute of silence before Baekhyun opened his mouth, “even so, you should only die at my hands.”

Sehun chuckled, he knew Baekhyun was joking. “Then I probably should keep myself alive for that. Now, you should sleep.”

It felt cosy and safe resting inside Sehun’s embrace, Baekhyun felt his freezing body warming up bit by bit. He kept reminding himself not to indulge in this comfort, yet, this feeling was too tempting for him to resist. Instead of pulling himself away, he was scooting closer. Before he even realised, he was drifted off to dreamland.

✧  
Sehun found himself sitting at the same spot on that cherry blossom tree. It was a tranquil night, he saw the two familiar figures sitting at the usual place. _Manwol_ wrapped his arms around _Beotkkot_ , pressing their lips together for a long kiss.

“I have a gift for you, in return of the painting you gave me last time.” _Manwol_ put a silver necklace on _Beotkkot_ ’s hand, it was a pendant in the shape of a full moon.

“I got one for myself too.” He pointed at the cherry blossom pendant he was wearing.

“Thank you, it is so beautiful.” _Beotkkot_ said softly. _Manwol_ helped putting the pendant on _Beotkkot_ ’s neck, then he pulled his lover close for another kiss.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They sat near the lake, kissing each other lovingly while enjoying the moment of silence. The full moon was mesmerising as usual, stars were shining bright above the lovers, a purple butterfly was dancing around, forming another picturesque scene. It looked like the last bit of peace before a storm.

“Have you... heard about it? It looks like, war is coming.” _Beotkkot_ said, slightly perplexed.

“Don’t worry, we will be fine.” _Manwol_ held his lover close and comforted him.

“What if...” _What if we won’t be able to see each other ever again. Beotkkot_ left his question unspoken, but _Manwol_ understood it all.

 _Manwol_ pressed a kiss on his forehead and repeated, “we will be fine.”

✧  
Sehun’s mind was back to reality when he felt Baekhyun shifting his body inside his arms.

“Does it hurt?” Sehun looked at Baekhyun worriedly, Baekhyun nodded and murmured “a little” weakly.

“Do you want me to go and look for Mago?” Baekhyun shook his head and continued resting on Sehun’s chest.

“It’s... alright.” However, Sehun was not convinced by Baekhyun’s answer at all. What made Sehun feel worse, was he couldn’t do anything to ease Baekhyun’s pain.

“Sleep a little bit longer, you will feel better in the morning.” Sehun said softly while caressing the back of Baekhyun’s head.

Baekhyun didn’t say anything and the room was filled with silence. The moment when Sehun thought Baekhyun had fallen asleep, he heard the smaller murmuring his name, “Sehun.”

“Yah?” It was the first time Baekhyun called him by his name, Sehun didn’t know if the next sentence coming from Baekhyun’s mouth was gonna be good or bad thing.

“Your heart is beating fast.” It was just a plain statement from Baekhyun, nothing more.

Sehun lowered his head and met Baekhyun’s gaze, “It always beats fast when you are around.”

Baekhyun didn’t respond immediately, it looked like he was thinking. 

“You should control it.” He said faintly after a while.

“What?” Sehun thought he heard Baekhyun wrong.

“Control your heart.” Baekhyun repeated, “or else you will regret.”

Sehun couldn’t believe in what Baekhyun just said. Yet, when he stared at Baekhyun’s sapphire blue eyes, he realised that Baekhyun probably didn’t really mean it. He wouldn’t be sad if he did.

“Listen, Baek. I _can’t_ , and I _won’t_.” He placed a hand on Baekhyun’s cheek, caressing it gently before he leaned forward and kissed Baekhyun on his lips. Baekhyun wanted to push him away but he had no energy left to do so. 

Their lips parted after a few seconds and Sehun whispered gently, “sleep first, the rest can wait.”

✧  
After Mago came and checked on Baekhyun the next morning, she invited Sehun to her library for a chat. She prepared lavender tea for Sehun, the one that Baekhyun liked. Sehun hesitated before finally taking the cup.

“No need to be scared, I won’t harm you.” Mago said with a friendly smile on her face. “I know you have lots of questions in your mind, maybe I can help you with that?”

“What happened between Baekhyun and me? Why he hates me that much? Why is he staying in Hotel Del Luna for so long? Why can’t he move on?” Sehun threw all questions out in a row.

“Calm down, one question at a time.” Mago took a sip of her black tea and started talking, “you already know part of the story between the two of you, just be patient and the rest will be revealed soon. Baekhyun needs to seek his closure before he can move on, and he needs to be _ready_ before he seeks his closure.”

“Do I have anything to do with this? I... I think I have fallen for him...” Sehun was still confused.

“My dear, of course you do, you _are_ his closure.” Mago looked at Sehun’s puzzled face with a smile, “Everything happens for a reason, _it’s all fate_.”

“What do you mean by... I am his closure? What should I do?”

“Follow your heart, and let fate decide the rest.” Mago finished her tea and patted Sehun’s shoulder, “now go and take care of him, he didn’t say it out loud, but he needs you.”

“Just refrain yourself from kissing him once every couple of minutes, he might get angry. _Behave._ ” Mago added with a playful wink before walking towards the stairs, leaving behind an embarrassed Sehun, face all red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, it’s almost half way through the story yeahhh I’m quite happy that I can keep up with my weekly update so far!!! You already know half of their memories, you can try guessing what happened 1,000 years ago, but that will only be revealed at the very end haha. Also, Kaisoo the evil ones finally appeared!!! They have their own story too and they are important characters! Things are progressing slowly, I hope you can feel Baekhyun’s struggle, I really like his character despite it is a rather dense one. Tell me what do you think :)


	7. Your Moonlight 04.

✧  
_언제나 바래왔던 그 사람  
The person I’ve always wanted  
바라만봐도 참 좋았어  
Just looking at you was great  
그걸로 충분했어  
That was enough_

✧  
Sehun and Baekhyun returned to Hotel Del Luna two days later. Jieun and the rest of the team were waiting for them at the lobby.

“ _Idiot!_ I thought you were fast? How come you got hurt by that bastard?” Jieun rushed towards Baekhyun and held his hand, her eyes were watery but she was relieved to see that Baekhyun looked fine.

“I won’t let him escape a second time. The bullet will penetrate his brain, not his shoulder.” Baekhyun felt awful whenever he thought of letting Jongin escape once again.

“Anyway, you should rest. Junmyeon will prepare some food for you and Sehun, Joohyun already replaced your mattress with a softer one. Don’t worry about work, I’ll work with Jongdae this week, I’ll tell him what to do.” Jieun turned to Sehun’s direction, “take good care of him.”

Sehun nodded and brought Baekhyun back to his bedroom. He helped applying some ointment on Baekhyun’s wound and tucked him into bed after they changed into more comfortable clothes. It became almost habitual for him to wrap his arms around Baekhyun, allowing him to rest on his chest. However, Baekhyun remained wide awake after a couple of minutes.

”Don’t you want some rest?” Asked Sehun gently. 

“Not sleepy.” Lying on Sehun’s chest, Baekhyun could feel his racing heart again. He suddenly recalled what Sehun said that night. _I can’t, and I won’t._ Baekhyun bit his lips, _is this really fate?_

“Then can we talk?” Sehun’s lips were occasionally touching Baekhyun’s forehead, “can you tell me... about that blonde guy?”

“His name is Kim Jongin, he and his close friend, Doh Kyungsoo, have been a threat to us for years. We tried to get rid of them, but the previous attempts were all in vain.”

“Are they also... souls?” 

“Yes and no. Technically speaking, they are _evil spirits_ , unlike our guests. You know... one turns into evil spirit if they _choose_ to end their own lives. As a punishment, they will never be allowed to cross the Rainbow Bridge, that means they will continue to wander around endlessly, until Grim Reaper decides it’s time to eliminate them.”

“Why are they a threat then?” Sehun noticed Baekhyun was more relaxed than before, it seemed like he got used to lying on Sehun’s chest, this made Sehun’s heart fluster.

“Did you see the bottles in Jongin’s room?” Sehun nodded. “Those are not empty bottles, there are things inside.”

Sehun didn’t understand, those looked like empty bottles. “What’s inside then?”

“ _Ashes._ ” Baekhyun paused for some seconds before elaborating, “when substances are burnt, ashes remain in form of solid powder. When souls are burnt, ashes remain in form of... _invisible gas._ ”

“Wait... they burnt souls?” Sehun’s raised his voice and questioned, “why?”

“I guess it’s... _jealousy and hatred_? They don’t have the chance to move on themselves, so they want to wipe out the chances that others have.” Baekhyun sounded like he was totally disgusted with their behaviour.

“There are almost a hundred bottles there, they have burnt so many innocent souls?” Sehun also found the duo’s action sickening, “but will this mission put you into danger... given they are so... aggressive?”

“I have no choice, Grim Reaper cannot get involved into direct fights with them, so I need to do the dirty work, capture and bring them to him. It isn’t really an issue... apart from that bastard wants me to be one of his collection.” Just the thought of Jongin having his hands and lips over him made Baekhyun nauseated.

“One of his collection? You?” Sehun’s eyes widened and he subconsciously tightened his grip, he held Baekhyun close to the extent that Baekhyun almost ran out of breath.

“ _Yahhh,_ I can’t breath.” Baekhyun glared at Sehun, Sehun immediately loosened his grip slightly. “Anyway, he will never succeed.”

“But...” The more Baekhyun told him about Jongin, the more Sehun was concerned about Baekhyun’s safety. He frowned his brows, locked his arms around Baekhyun’s waist, hugging him in a rather possessive way. 

“I won’t let him escape next time.” Baekhyun ended this conversation with a yawn, the effect of medicine started to kick in and he was drowsy.

“Tired? Sleep a while then.” Sehun petted Baekhyun’s hair before he attempted to sit up from the bed. Out of reflex, Baekhyun tightened his grip, didn’t want to lose the comfortable warmth, his action surprised both Sehun and himself.

“No worries, I’m just gonna go and get an extra blanket, I’ll be back in a minute.” Pleased with Baekhyun’s cute reaction, Sehun chuckled and petted his hair again. 

Baekhyun sighed, he wondered why he would react this way. _Maybe Mago had put some weird stuff into the medicine,_ he rolled his eyes.

Sehun returned to his original position after covering Baekhyun with another blanket, he pulled Baekhyun back to his embrace without the smaller’s resistance, probably due to the fact that Baekhyun was already half asleep by then.

“Sweet dreams, Baek.” Sehun resisted the temptation to kiss Baekhyun on his lips, he just placed a quick peck on his forehead before closing his eyes.

✧  
After being forced into one week of hiatus, Baekhyun finally completely recovered from the injury. Thanks to Jongdae, they didn’t lag far behind on daily operation. Baekhyun and Sehun were sitting in the conference room when Jongdae entered with a girl who was in her mid-twenties.

“Her name is Hyerin. She fell off the stairs and… so I brought her back.” Jongdae explained.

Hyerin got long black hair, round eyes and slightly chubby cheeks, she was the cute and adorable type of girl. It was really a pity that she became a soul so soon.

“Hi Hyerin, I’m Baekhyun. You are still so young, I’m sorry that this unfortunate accident happened.” Baekhyun said.

“I feel sorry for myself, too.” Hyerin’s voice sounded cute, but melancholic. “I was born blind and I have been hoping for a chance to see this world all my life. It’s so ironic, that I finally got to see how beautiful the world is moments after my last breath. _That’s life, I guess_.”

“That must be tough for you, but you are right, sometimes life is tough like this. Since you are invited to our hotel, we will make our best effort to help you, in case you have any unfinished business to settle. I’m Sehun, by the way.” Sehun added calmly, he felt pity for Hyerin but he didn’t want to get emotional.

“I… I got one thing that I really want to do. There’s a busker in _Hongdae_ …” Hyerin’s expression became more cheerful once she started talking about the busker. The three of them listened attentively, trying to formulate a plan in their mind.

✧  
Sehun and Baekhyun were at Hongdae, standing among the crowd. A tall, handsome guy was adjusting his microphone. His bandmates were all busy setting up their instruments.

“Hello everyone, I’m Chanyeol. I’m here with my bandmates from studio NNG, we would like to share our latest music with you. I hope you’ll have an enjoyable evening with us.” 

The band started playing the first song, Chanyeol closed his eyes and started singing with his emotional voice, it instantly captured the audience’s full attention. Hyerin stood next to Baekhyun, staring at Chanyeol. She covered her face with her hand, but it couldn’t hide her teary eyes.

Two years ago, Hyerin was hanging out with her friends at Hongdae and occasionally came across Chanyeol busking with his band. She had fallen for his raspy voice since then and became a regular audience of Chanyeol’s weekly busking. She never had the courage to talk to him, she doubted if Chanyeol had ever noticed her. Hyerin promised herself she would never skip any single busking, and she kept her promise till the last day of her life - she fell from the stairs on the way home after last week’s busking.

Finally, Hyerin knew how her crush looked like, large round eyes, stylish hair in chestnut brown, a tall figure playing his guitar with his large hand, every feature was flawless in Hyerin’s eyes. It was almost a perfect moment to her, _almost,_ because Chanyeol couldn’t see her. She was not alive anymore.

The band was having a short break in between songs, Sehun and Baekhyun walked towards Chanyeol and greeted him.

“Hi, Chanyeol? Do you have a minute?” Sehun smiled politely.

“Yah, hey. What’s up?” Chanyeol put his guitar down and asked, looking at the two strangers curiously.

“We are here for one of our friends, she loves your music. She doesn’t like places with a lot of people, but she comes to Hongdae every week just to hear you sing.”

Chanyeol didn’t say anything immediately, he was thinking. “Is it… the girl with black long hair who is… blind?”

Hyerin’s eyes widened when she heard this, drops of tears fell from her eyes. Whether those were tears of joy or sadness, only she could tell.

Baekhyun stole a quick glance of the girl who was in tears before turning back to Chanyeol, “her name is Hyerin. She... appreciates you a lot.”

“That’s really... good to hear. She is always here whenever I perform, I can’t believe I don’t even know her name until now... but why isn’t she coming today?” Chanyeol raised his eyebrows and asked.

Sehun secretly sighed, Hyerin gripped his sleeve, reminding him not to mention anything about her death.

“Hmm... it was a rushed decision but... she had left the country for good.” Sehun said, “that’s why we are here on her behalf. As you may know, her life is little bit more challenging than the others, but your music accompanied her through many ups and downs. She is sorry for not having the chance to thank you in person, but I bet you won’t blame her for that, right?”

“Of course not, I’m truly grateful that my music can influence people in a positive way. Maybe I can do something for her, what is her favourite song?” Chanyeol asked.

A couple of minutes later, Chanyeol picked up his guitar and greeted the audience again.

“Thanks for staying with us. Before we start the second part of the performance, I would like to share with you a little story. We have been busking here for over two years, a lot of your have been supporting us since the beginning, some joined in the middle, some left. I may not have the chance to talk to every single one of you, but trust me, I have excellent memory, and I remember each of you.” Chanyeol paused for a few seconds, clearing his thought.

“There used to be a girl who came and supported our performance every week. Although she cannot see us, she knows us through our music. Unfortunately, she left before I have a chance to talk to her in person. I would therefore like to dedicate her favourite song to her. Hyerin, I wish you all the best, wherever you are now. Here’s a little gift from me, _Slow Walk._ ”

Sehun took out his mobile to film when Chanyeol started introducing the song. Indeed, there was no need because Hyerin was there, listening to the first and only performance dedicated to her. Hyerin was moved by the deep emotion Chanyeol put into the song, she was in tears again. Unpredictable things happened in life, but Hyerin was grateful that before she bad farewell to her current life, her favourite person gifted her four minutes in paradise.

The song ended and a round of applause was heard, Hyerin bit her lips, her gaze never leaving the tall singer.

“It’s time to go.” Baekhyun said in a tone softer than usual.

“Can I just stay a little bit longer and have a moment on my own? I promise... I will return by mid-night. _Please._ ” Hyerin begged. 

Usually Baekhyun didn’t like entertaining such request but this time, he just nodded. “Be careful and make sure you are back before 12.”

✧  
Leaving the busking area, the two walked side by side on the main street. The street was full of young couples, making the two of them slightly awkward. It sort of reminded them of their _little date_ on soul cleansing day.

“So.... your back really fully recovered now, right?” Sehun attempted to break the silence.

“Yes.” Baekhyun felt extra nervous when their shoulders occasionally touched each other.

“That’s good. Oh, come here.” Sehun led Baekhyun to a beverage shop and stood at the end of the queue. It was a bubble tea shop, Sehun ordered a bubble tea for Baekhyun, he made sure that he requested 50% sugar so that it wouldn’t end up being too sweet to Baekhyun’s liking.

“Here you go. It’s getting cold so I didn’t order the iced one. Be careful, it’s hot.” Sehun carefully passed the cup to Baekhyun, Baekhyun’s hands were instantly warmed when he had the cup of hot bubble tea in his hands.

“Thank you.” Baekhyun murmured. He started drinking the bubble tea and again, his mood was lightened by the sweetness.

The slight content shown on Baekhyun’s face was enough to make Sehun happy. He looked at Baekhyun chewing the tapioca balls, his eyes gradually turned into crescents. 

Baekhyun realised Sehun was looking at him, then he recalled Sehun once said, _I just can’t help myself from staring at your lips the entire day._ He wondered if Sehun was indeed staring at his lips again.

“Do you... want some?” Baekhyun didn’t know why he suggested this. _I’m just trying to distract him, nothing special,_ he tried to convince himself.

Pleased with Baekhyun’s offer, Sehun grabbed Baekhyun’s hand together with the cup and took a sip, a satisfied expression on his face. He didn’t let go of Baekhyun’s hand, he kept holding it after he finished the bubble tea and threw the cup away.

Suddenly, Sehun noticed Baekhyun’s expression changed sharply and he was glancing around. He grabbed Sehun’s hand tightly and said, “move, _quick_.”

They quickened their pace and slipped into a dark alley. Two of them squeezed into the narrow space, Sehun habitually pulled Baekhyun close although he had no idea what was happening.

“Baek, what’s going on?” Sehun whispered into Baekhyun’s ear. 

“Some evil spirits were nearby just now.” Baekhyun stuck his head out and took a quick glance, making sure the evil spirits weren’t following them. “Looks like they are gone.”

“Do you think it’s Jongin?” Sehun pulled Baekhyun back to the alley, worried that he would be attacked by the evil spirits if they were still around.

“Could be. That dude is really testing my limit.” The moment Baekhyun’s gaze met with Sehun’s, the moment he realised they were so close to each other, _too close._ Baekhyun could feel Sehun’s hot breath against his forehead. 

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds. Sehun decided he would ignore Mago’s advice for once, he leaned forward and wanted to kiss Baekhyun. Yet, before their lips connected, Baekhyun turned his head and Sehun’s lips ended up on Baekhyun’s cheek.

“Don’t.” Baekhyun looked away and breathed heavily. 

“Why?” Sehun cupped Baekhyun’s cheek with his large hand and turned his head back so that they were facing each other again.

“I told you, you will regret.” Baekhyun knew he didn’t sound convincing at all, he couldn’t even convince himself.

“Baek, you are not the one to decide whether I will regret it or not.” Sehun leaned forward again. This time, he had both hands on Baekhyun’s face, not letting him to escape another time. 

Baekhyun felt like he was melting in Sehun’s passionate kiss. Sehun’s hand was now on Baekhyun’s nape, pressing Baekhyun close to deepen the kiss. Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Sehun’s waist, enjoying the sensual kiss with his eyes shut.

✧  
When Baekhyun opened his eyes, he found himself in a completely dark room, it looked like a prison a couple of centuries ago. He mentally prepared himself for some unpleasant scenes.

He heard some footsteps approaching, two prison guards were carrying a prisoner, who apparently was interrogated and beaten harshly. They pushed him into the prison cell and locked the door. 

“Your father is a hero to our Kingdom but look at his pathetic son. Son of General Oh releasing anti-imperialism books? While your father is risking his life protecting the Kingdom, you write nonsense talking about meaningless ideology. You are such a disgrace to the Oh family, no wonder they kicked you out years ago.” The prison guard spat on the floor with a disdainful look and left the prison cell.

Sehun lied on the floor, didn’t say anything. His whole body was in pain after being tortured by the guards. Yes, he wrote anti-imperialism books, he talked about how corrupted this Kingdom was, he questioned why most of the poor citizens were living in poverty, barely surviving while the rich royal family was living their luxurious life in the palace. He wrote about controversial issues, and he ended up in jail. This conservative society allowed selective freedom of expression, only to those who were in favour of the ruler. Most of the courageous people like Sehun would either be silenced, imprisoned, tortured, or just vanished suddenly.

Sehun was looking at the tiny window in the cell, the only source of light in this dark room. He probably wouldn’t leave this prison alive, he thought. Baekhyun could see hopelessness and resentment in Sehun’s eyes. He wanted to approach Sehun, pat his shoulder, clean his wounds and wipe the dust away from his face. Yet, all Baekhyun could do was to stand still and watch him suffer.

Exhaling deeply, Sehun sat up with difficulty and reached for the tiny cup of water left by the guard. Yet, he realised the liquid inside the cup was not water, instead of being transparent, the liquid was milky. Sehun knew very well what was ahead of him. They probably knew that they could not get any more useful information from him, so they decided to eliminate him in secret in view of his special identity. Sehun let out a cold laugh. He gulped down the liquid, lied down, and started counting down the last few minutes of his life.

“Dad, I’m sorry.” Sehun mumbled before closing his eyes. 

Baekhyun covered his face with his hand, a few tears rolled down his cheeks. _No, he is not dying alone, not again._

✧  
Baekhyun felt a warm hand caressing his cheek, he opened his eyes and saw Sehun looking at him with affection, and worry.

“Baek, what happened? Why are you crying?” Sehun wiped the tears away from Baekhyun’s cheeks and held him close. “Your eyes are blue.”

“I... just saw something unpleasant.” Said Baekhyun weakly. 

“Was it about me?” Sehun guessed it was the visions that they took turn to have while they were having physical contact.

Baekhyun nodded, “you were... suffering.”

“Looks like my past lives weren’t easy huh? But, I’m pretty sure I’m not suffering right now.” Sehun smiled and pressed their lips together again. Baekhyun didn’t turn away, he just closed his eyes again and let Sehun taste every bit of his lips.

The more they hugged and kissed, the more uncontrollable the feeling had become. Baekhyun found it more and more difficult to hold himself back because deep inside his heart, he secretly wanted it as much as Sehun did. 

And _this_ , was also the thing he _scared_ the most.

✧  
The two then returned to the hotel as if nothing had happened, Baekhyun’s mind was too messy so he kept his mouth shut, Sehun knew he had probably gone little bit too far again so he didn’t say anything neither.

When they stepped into the lobby, they saw a tall figure standing there, talking to Junmyeon.

“ _Babe, I miss you so much._ ” Seeing the two entering the lobby, the tall guy immediately approached Baekhyun, grabbed his waist and pressed his lips on Baekhyun’s forehead. Sehun’s facial expression immediately changed, he glared at this unknown guy with animosity.

“Why... what are you doing here?” Baekhyun flung the taller’s hand away, slightly embarrassed by the way he addressed him.

“Ahhh, we haven’t seen each other for almost a year, _I miss you babe._ ” The taller grinned at Baekhyun, displaying his _fangs_ , and wrapped his arm around the smaller again.

Sehun’s eyes widened. _This ugly guy is a vampire._

“Lucas, stop.” Baekhyun glared at the taller, “and don’t call me like that.”

“Are you shy, huh? Let’s go, dear, _I can’t wait._ ”

Lucas stared at Sehun deliberately while pressing one last kiss on Baekhyun’s forehead. The two tall men were having a silent battle with their fierce gaze, Sehun inhaled and straightened his back without himself even noticing, trying to look _more intimidating_. Lucas threw Sehun a mischievous smirk and turned around, hand never leaving Baekhyun’s waist for a second. 

Lucas took Baekhyun’s hand and led him to the elevator. Baekhyun didn’t want to discuss their issue in front of the others, so he just let the vampire drag him into the elevator.

Sehun’s face was completely dark, he felt like he was flaming inside, his blood was boiling. He didn’t care if this guy was a mummy, a vampire or an alien, he just hated him from the bottom of his heart the moment he appeared. That ugly vampire called Baekhyun babe and dear, they looked so intimate and he seemed familiar with Hotel Del Luna. _Wait, they went into the elevator, meaning they were going to a guest room?_

He turned and asked Junmyeon, “who the heck is that ugly guy? Why is he here and... what’s going on between him and Baekhyun?”

“Well... Lucas is Baekhyun’s dentist.” Junmyeon replied, an awkward expression was shown on his face when he mentioned the word _dentist_.

“But why is a dentist showing up at mid-night, calling his client _babe_?” Sehun was outrageous and was almost yelling. 

“Hmmm... You know I’m not in a position to disclose too much about our boss’ private life, right? Apparently, they have other... _relationship._ ” Seeing Sehun’s expression, Junmyeon decided to spill a little bit more, “Lucas visits the hotel around once or twice a year and they... usually stay in a certain suite, the one at the end of the corridor of the upper floor.” 

Completely engulfed by jealousy, Sehun clenched his fists and stomped into the elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Sebaekists, here is ch.7! Now you know a bit more about Kaisoo, I don’t think I will go into details on why they’ve become evil spirits because I’m not in favour of writing those scenes and it isn’t really related to the main story - so I’ll leave that to your imagination! Some surprise (?) comes in the end, not sure if you remember Baek once mentioned his dentist is a vampire so here it is hahaha. Hmmm, there will be some nsfw scenes in next 1-2 chapters, I will put a note at the beginning which part to skip if you don’t wanna read them, as for what are those scenes about, you will know very soon XD Have a great week, I appreciate all the comments you’ve left, thank you so much ♡


	8. Cherry Blossom Love Song 04.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: NSFW content, short & mild smut (please skip the vision part if you don’t wanna read smut)

✧  
_모든 게 불편하기만한  
Past the memories of being uncomfortable  
잊고 싶던 기억들  
Memories I want to forget  
너머로 참 선명하게 빛이 나던  
Days we spent together  
너와 함께 보낸 나날들  
Shine so clearly_

✧  
Sehun stood in front of the _Pleasure suite_ for a few minutes, still debating if he should enter. Lucas probably left the door unlocked intentionally to enrage him. Yet, Sehun was defeated by his curiosity, he fell into Lucas’ trap willingly and stepped inside the suite.

The room had walls and a couch in wine red colour, black velvet curtains and a king-sized bed. The whole suite was filled with the scent of cinnamon, it smelt of seduction and desire.

Sehun stepped closer and saw two bodies standing there, making out. Baekhyun was being pinned against the wall with both of his hands locked above his head. The tall figure in front of him was pressing himself against Baekhyun, smashing their lips together urgently, eagerly, aggressively. 

Then, Lucas’ lips gradually wandered down to Baekhyun’s exposed neck, he smirked before he started sucking from left to right, Baekhyun tilted his head backward, bit his lips to stop himself from moaning. 

Sehun’s breathing became heavy, he clenched his fists tighter with each passing second, he wanted to tear this vampire into pieces. This ugly vampire was touching Baekhyun, _his Baekhyun_.

“Ahh... ahhhh...” High-pitched moans escaped from Baekhyun’s mouth when Lucas sank his fangs into his sensitive neck.

“Hmmm, you look so hot.” Lucas stared at Baekhyun with his lust-filled eyes.

Couldn’t stand staying any longer, Sehun cursed in his mind and left the room, infuriated by what he saw but at the same time, uncontrollably aroused by Baekhyun’s sinful look and alluring moans.

Moments later, when he was standing alone inside his room after finally calming all inappropriate thoughts down, he questioned himself, _since when have I started considering Baekhyun as my Baekhyun?_

“No... Lucas stop!” Meanwhile, back in the suite, Baekhyun yelled while struggling left and right.

Lucas stopped unwillingly, raised his head and looked at Baekhyun. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t... we can’t...” Baekhyun let out a sigh. “I’m sorry.”

Lucas’ gaze became gentle, he already sensed something was off when he saw the two returning to the lobby. Baekhyun looked at him differently, he also sounded differently, all because of that tall young guy.

“Come, let’s sit and talk then.” It was the first time that they were simply sitting on the edge of the king-sized bed, talking, instead of doing anything else. 

Lucas took Baekhyun’s hand and put it on his thigh. “It’s him, isn’t it? That guy is the one you’ve been waiting for.”

Baekhyun bit his lips, didn’t say anything. “I’m just... not in the mood.”

“Baek, this is the very first time you reject me. We have known each other for centuries, I know when you are lying.” Lucas caressed Baekhyun’s hand softly, playing with his slender fingers. “When we started this, we promised not to get emotionally involved, remember that?”

Baekhyun nodded his head, “it’s been a long time.”

“I guess, I didn’t follow the rule too strictly,” Lucas chuckled, “but you are the one to blame, everyone is falling for you.”

Baekhyun stared at Lucas. The vampire was smiling, but there was a shade of sadness in his eyes, in both of their eyes, to be exact, because they both knew there probably wouldn’t be any next time for them.

“Can I kiss you one last time, please, _babe_?” 

Baekhyun nodded, then Lucas leaned forward and kissed him, the most gentle one in all these years - no lust, no urge, just pure affection and tenderness. They had been healing each other’s lonely soul for so long, and tonight, everything would end with this last kiss. 

Lucas kissed his way to Baekhyun’s neck, his favourite part of Baekhyun’s body, he sank his fangs into the most sensitive area, leaving his signature mark on Baekhyun’s neck one last time. Baekhyun grabbed Lucas’ strong biceps and whimpered.

Satisfied with the marks on Baekhyun’s neck, Lucas smirked playfully and said, “at least I have to show him I’m a real threat, I bet he’s gonna be mad tomorrow.”

Baekhyun couldn’t find the right words to say, he just responded with a weak smile. 

“So, I guess it’s time for me to go, huh?” Lucas said while helping Baekhyun button up his dress shirt. 

“If that kid hurts you, you know where to find me. My office is open for you 24/7, I’m still your dentist after all.” Lucas stood up and walked towards the door. 

“Hey.” Baekhyun grabbed Lucas’ sleeve, “take good care of yourself and don’t... get into trouble.”

“Don’t worry, the only trouble I’ve ever gotten myself into, was falling for you harder than I should.” Lucas smiled, he wrapped his arms around Baekhyun and whispered in his ear, “I’m just gonna say this once, _I love you, babe_.”

Before Baekhyun could hug Lucas back or say anything, a strong wind blew and the vampire vanished from his sight.

✧  
The conference room was freezing like a fridge, nobody attempted to initiate a conversation. Junmyeon, Jongdae and Joohyun were eyeing each other, communicating with one another in silence.

The atmosphere was tense due to the two sitting opposite to each other at one side of the long table. Baekhyun was focusing on his files while Sehun was fixing his gaze on the smaller, or more accurately, on his neck. Baekhyun was dressed in a dress shirt and a vest. His neck was not completely covered and some of the marks left by Lucas were visible. He wasn’t really bothered about them, but Sehun was, he was completely pissed with what he saw. Baekhyun sensed the fierce gaze from Sehun, but he chose to ignore it.

Jieun entered the room and took the empty seat next to Baekhyun. As expected, she appeared as if she was attending a fashion show, even the meeting started at ten in the morning. She wore a double-breasted pastel blue peplum set matched with white stockings, white gloves and classy gem jewellery. 

She, of course, could see the reddish bite marks on Baekhyun’s neck. She leaned towards him and whispered, “what the hell happened? Did you sleep with Lucas yesterday? Sehun looks like he is about to explode.”

“No we didn’t, but he probably thinks we did.” Baekhyun replied flatly, he then turned around and said, “since we are all here, perhaps we should start? Our annual party is approaching, we needa finalise the rundown and make sure everything has been taken care of.”

The atmosphere became less awkward once they started focusing on work. The annual party that would be held on Saturday had been the most anticipating event of Hotel Del Luna since its establishment. Everybody, including all staffs and guests, always had a wonderful time during the party.

“Sehun,” Baekhyun passed Sehun a file during break time, “this is the guest for today.”

Sehun opened the file and took a quick glance, a girl aged 26 who had a trekking accident. “I will go and pick her up.”

He stood up from his seat and started packing his belongings. Baekhyun murmured an “I...” but before he could finish his sentence, Sehun turned and left the conference room without even saying goodbye to the rest of them.

Baekhyun sighed, there was something other than anger that made him feel uneasy, or perhaps guilty - he saw _disappointment_ in Sehun’s eyes.

✧  
Later that day, Sehun entered Baekhyun’s office with a good-looking girl, who was wrapping her arm around Sehun’s. They just went to the _sauna_ , where the girl cleaned her wounds and got changed, now she looked refreshing and energetic with a yellow T-shirt and matching skirt, her hair tied in double buns.

Baekhyun was busy looking at the monitor and typing attentively, he only raised his head after Sehun faked a cough. He didn’t miss the girl’s arm around Sehun’s. 

“So you’re Sejeong?” Baekhyun inquired coldly.

“Yes! You must be Baekhyun _oppa_ , right? Sehun oppa mentioned your name on our way back.” Sejeong grinned cheerfully, but the way she called Sehun sweetly sounded extra irritating to Baekhyun.

“I’m not your oppa.” Baekhyun finished the last sentence he was typing and closed the file. “So, what do you want to do before we send you off to the Bridge?”

“Hmmm...” Sejeong paused a bit, then she chuckled, “I wanna go on a date with a handsome guy, like Sehun oppa.”

Sehun wondered what Baekhyun’s reaction would be after hearing Sejeong’s request. Baekhyun remained calm while looking at the two, yet, he was secreting clenching his fists under the table.

“A date?” He raised his brows and let out a frosty laugh, “humans are really superficial. Get the job done then, entertain the girl and send her off as soon as possible. Now leave me alone.”

“Sehun oppa, did I do anything wrong? Looks like he hates me.” Sejeong asked after they left Baekhyun’s office.

“It’s not your fault. He is just... not in a good mood, I guess.” Sehun answered, he also wasn’t sure why Baekhyun reacted like this, he should be the one to be in a bad mood, not Baekhyun.

“Well, oppa, are you really gonna go on a date with me tomorrow?” Sejeong asked eagerly, eyes earnest, grin on her face.

“Hmmm, where do you wanna go? You know, others can’t see you so... it could be weird if we go to crowded places and people can only see me.” Asked Sehun.

“Let me think about it, we meet at the lobby at noon tomorrow, okay?” Sejeong smiled when she saw Sehun nodded with a reserved smile on his face.

Sehun led Sejeong to her room and returned to his own afterwards. _A date_. He never thought of going on a date with anyone, until Baekhyun became an exception recently. Yet, he never understood what was in Baekhyun’s mind. At some point in time he felt like Baekhyun also had feelings towards him, he saved him and showed him his weak side, however, he also tried to push him away, and he had intimate relationship with someone else... Everything was conflicting and was causing headache, Sehun wondered if anyone could give him a hand to sort things out.

✧  
By the time Sehun arrived the lobby at noon, Sejeong had already been waiting there for 20 minutes. Dressed in a grey sweater and black skirt, Sejeong looked just like a normal university student. Her eyes turned into crescents when she saw Sehun walking towards her, looking extra handsome with a bomber jacket in army green.

“Have you decided what do you wanna do?” Sehun asked while adjusting his black cap.

“I wanna watch a movie, go to a coffee shop, and spend the evening at Han River.” Sejeong smiled while telling Sehun her plan for the day.

“That’s it?” Sehun was expecting something more demanding, but her agenda seemed manageable.

“Yes, I guess it won’t be that suspicious when people see you doing these things on your own. I’m happy whatever we do, as long as I have you by my side the entire day.” She grabbed Sehun’s arm and cheered excitedly, “oppa, let’s go!”

A short while after they entered the elevator, Baekhyun, who was secretly overhearing them from his office, walked outside with an unusual expression, jealousy written all over his face.

✧  
“This movie is perfect!” Sejeong said with a satisfied expression on her face. “Did you see how good the protagonists’ acting is? I’m absolutely amazed.”

Sehun listened to Sejeong praising the movie non-stop, but what he was thinking all the time was Baekhyun’s perfect silhouette inside the dark cinema, he was thinking about their one and only date, which was not really a date.

They went to Sejeong’s favourite coffee shop, which was a very spacious shop with three floors. It was a quiet Friday afternoon and the shop was rather empty. They chose a table close to the balcony on the third floor where they were the only customers. Sehun ordered a hot pumpkin chocolate and a New York cheesecake for Sejeong. Just to avoid suspicion, he didn’t order anything for himself and decided to settle with a glass of water.

“Wow, the cake is really delicious. You should try.” Sejeong said after taking a large bite.

“That’s okay, I’m good.” Sehun observed her eating the cake and drinking her chocolate with a satisfied smile, a sudden thought came into his mind – it was really a pity that the earth had lost such a cheerful girl.

“Oppa, if you don’t mind, can I do something that is… not so romantic now?” Sejeong stuck her tongue out and asked.

“Of course, whatever you wanna do.”

Sejeong took out an I-pad from her tote bag. “I have been thinking about this the whole night, I need to watch the last episode of this K-drama, I’m dying to know the ending!”

“So you wanna finish your drama here?” Sehun said, amused.

“Hmm, yes! You can have an hour of silence, sounds good?” Without waiting for Sehun’s response, Sejeong already had her full attention on the drama.

Sehun looked outside and stared at the cloudless sky, he wondered what Baekhyun was doing at this moment, probably busy preparing for the annual party. He still felt bitter recalling that ugly vampire, those annoying marks on Baekhyun’s neck, and Baekhyun’s everchanging attitude towards their relationship. He needed to talk to Baekhyun, Sehun made up his mind.

Meanwhile, under the same blue sky, a man who was dressed in black dress shirt and light blue jeans, with his good-looking face hidden under a cap, was sitting on the ground floor of the same coffee shop. Baekhyun took a sip of his espresso macchiato, he stared at his watch, displeased by the fact that the two had been spending almost two hours upstairs. _What’s so fun going on a date here? Stupid._ He rolled his eyes.

A couple of minutes later, Baekhyun heard footsteps and saw them walking downstairs, he immediately turned around and lowered his cap. He paid his bill and left the coffee shop. It didn’t seem like something the _cool and unbothered co-director_ Byun Baekhyun would do at all - stalking his employee, being jealous and refusing to admit it. 

Yet, he almost exploded when he saw Sejeong asking “oppa, can I hold your hand?” and taking Sehun’s hand without giving him a chance to refuse her request. Baekhyun stopped walking, his eyes turned into the colour of furious flame. After taking a few deep breaths to control his anger and stop himself from setting the surrounding trees on fire, he continued following the two who were walking towards Han River hand in hand. They picked a quiet corner and sat down by the river, waiting for sunset.

“I’ve always wanted a date like this, simple but blissful.” Sejeong smiled while looking at their intertwining hands. “Thank you.”

“Didn’t you have a chance to date? I mean, you should be popular at school, weren’t you?”

“Argh, guys at my school sucked. Also, I majored in hotel management where 80% of my classmates are girls. I don’t have many options, and I’ve never met any attractive guy like you.” Sejeong chuckled, but her smiling face soon turned bitter.

“You know, it’s my dream to meet my prince charming, have a romantic relationship, get married and have kids. I wanted to write my own fairy tale with him… but…” Sejeong leaned on Sehun’s shoulder and sighed.

Sehun couldn’t find the suitable words to say, he just patted Sejeong’s shoulder as a gesture of comfort. The conversation died down eventually, they sat there in silence, enjoying the peaceful scene.

Hidden behind a tree, Baekhyun was looking at the two of them under the golden sun. The rage had subsided, but other thoughts started bothering him. _Another cursed life_ , he couldn’t get these words out of his mind. That was right, if he gave in to Sehun now, it would indeed be another cursed life for both of them. He couldn’t stay here forever, sooner or later he would follow the others’ footsteps - drink his potion, forgo his memory, cross the Bridge and… _leave Sehun behind_. Then, it would be another miserable loner life for Sehun, just like all his past lives. Only if he stood firm now, Sehun could have a chance to enjoy a normal life. He could find someone like Sejeong, cheerful, optimistic, beautiful, to spend his life with. He could live like a normal person, with a normal family, in a normal world.

The more Baekhyun thought about it, the more disheartened he became. _I should have ended him on the first night, then I don’t have to feel broken once again_ , he let out a heavy sigh and turned away.

A chilly breeze suddenly blew from behind, Sehun turned his head and saw a figure walking away from them. Even he was not able to see him clearly, intuition told him that was Baekhyun. He was there, looking at them secretly. _But why?_

“It’s getting cold here after sunset, should we go back now?” Sehun suggested.

“Yah, let’s go back, I’m hungry.” Sejeong agreed, she stood up and murmured a _goodbye_ in her mind before leaving Han River.

✧  
Baekhyun curled himself up like a ball on his bed, forced his eyes shut and tried not to think about any of those things that had been bothering him. He had to have enough rest as he got lots to do for the annual party the next day.

Sehun entered Baekhyun’s bedroom with the spare key, it became his habit to check on Baekhyun before going back to his room. He stepped closer to the petite figure lying on bed, he took Baekhyun’s hand and realised that he was freezing, again. Sehun sighed and took off his jacket, slipped into Baekhyun’s bed, wrapped both arms around Baekhyun’s waist and spooned him from behind. 

The movement woke the shallow sleeper, Baekhyun turned his body around and was shocked to see Sehun lying next to him. 

“What are you doing here?” Baekhyun was about to fling Sehun’s arms away but Sehun immediately tightened his hug.

“I miss you.” Sehun stared at Baekhyun and whispered sincerely. He took Baekhyun’s hand and placed it on his own face. “You are so cold.”

Baekhyun felt hot blood flowing to his face while Sehun was acting gentle and sweet like that. He exhaled, looked at Sehun and said, “Sehun, I’m _a ghost_. I have been cold like this ever since I was dead. I’m used to it, and I can live with that.”

“But you don’t have to. I know you don’t hate it, you scoot close to me so naturally whenever I am here at night.” Not allowing Baekhyun to struggle, Sehun tugged him close so the smaller could hear his loud thumping heart. “Baek, why do you want to push me away so badly?”

“Is it because... you like that ugly vampire more than me?” Sehun was scared that he would hear a “yes”, but he needed to know the reason.

“No. I don’t like him like that, our thing is just... _physical_.” Baekhyun murmured, Sehun exhaled deeply and tightened his grip on Baekhyun’s waist. Baekhyun made a short pause before he explained himself, “but... last time... we didn’t ...”

“He left marks all over your neck and you said you two didn’t...?” Sehun questioned the smaller, sounding bitter.

“No, we didn’t.” Baekhyun interrupted Sehun, he raised his head and saw Sehun’s tense expression soften immediately.

“Do you know how bad I wanted to tear him apart when I saw him doing all those things to you?” Sehun admitted, he was really possessive over Baekhyun, he would do anything just to stop others from touching his Baekhyun.

Baekhyun didn’t say anything, but he could feel Sehun’s strong affection. His inner wall of defence was starting to collapse, he was gradually losing himself in this warm castle where, for the very first time in these centuries, he felt safe and peaceful. 

“Baek, you know, I loved you 1,000 years ago, I don’t know what happened in between but the only thing I can assure is, I still love you now.” Sehun confessed. 

_I still love you now_ , this was all it took to let Baekhyun’s guard down. He couldn’t resist this anymore, he gave in. Baekhyun buried his head in Sehun’s chest and wrapped his arms around Sehun’s waist. “I’m just scared.”

Sehun was overjoyed with Baekhyun’s reaction, he pressed a kiss on Baekhyun’s forehead before asking, “why?”

“I’m scared because I know what is ahead of us.” Baekhyun sighed, how he wished he had the ability to change the situation. Yet, Mago was right, _it’s all fate_.

“Whatever it is, my feelings towards you won’t change.” Sehun knew what Baekhyun was trying to say, but he decided not to bother about that for now. Although Baekhyun didn’t say anything affirming his own feeling, Sehun knew their feeling towards one another was mutual, what he wanted to do now was to show Baekhyun how much he loved him.

Sehun approached Baekhyun and connected their lips. Every time they kissed, he felt like he was falling for Baekhyun more. His tongue found its way into Baekhyun’s mouth, stroking Baekhyun’s tongue. The kiss became more sensual with each passing second, Sehun closed his eyes and took it slowly, trying to give Baekhyun the most enjoyable kiss.

✧  
Then the electric current came again. When Sehun opened his eyes, he was towering over Baekhyun, on the bed of their secret place next to the lake.

 _Beotkkot_ was looking at him lovingly, _Manwol_ lowered his head and kissed his lover. The kiss started soft but gradually turned more passionate. _Manwol_ deepened the kiss by constantly tilting his head and changing the angle, _Beotkkot_ just closed his eyes and let _Manwol_ set the pace. 

Both felt like kissing like this was not enough, they wanted more. _Manwol_ stared at his lover, as if he was seeking permission. _Beotkkot_ smiled and nodded. _Manwol_ gently untied the belt that _Beotkkot_ had on his waist and started undressing his silky robe, then he removed his own clothing and both were completely naked.

He kept pressing gentle kisses on _Beotkkot’s_ lips and massaged his body thoroughly. “Let me know if you feel uncomfortable, it may hurt.” _Manwol_ whispered softly and the smaller nodded.

 _Manwol_ entered _Beotkkot_ slowly, allowing sufficient time for his lover to adjust to the feeling of being stretched by his hard member. _Beotkkot_ cried out in pain at the beginning, but eventually he got used to it and signalled the taller to go further. When _Manwol_ was fully sheathed inside, he kissed _Beotkkot_ again before he started thrusting. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt his lover. He moved his body slowly, observing his lover’s reaction. _Beotkkot_ let out soft whimpers while keeping his eyes shut. 

“Does it hurt?” Asked _Manwol_ in a concerned way.

“I’m... fine, you can... move a bit.” _Beotkkot_ responded shyly, _Manwol_ smiled and started thrusting at a faster pace, the room was filled with _Beotkkot’s_ moans and _Manwol’s_ occasional low groans.

When _Manwol_ buried himself deep and came inside _Beotkkot_ , both of them let out a satisfied cry and they finally felt like, they had united and become one.

✧  
Both were busy catching their breath after the long kiss, Sehun’s mind was still full of the vision he just saw, his face was completely red and his entire body was burning.

“Is anything wrong?” Baekhyun looked at him suspiciously. 

“Hmmm... I just saw something...” Sehun pulled Baekhyun close before whispering into Baekhyun’s ear with a husky voice, “you were so adorable when you became shy, your whimpers were cute, but you looked so hot at the same time...” He added with a chuckle.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened immediately after he figured out what Sehun saw in his vision, he secretly cursed in his mind. _Out of all memories they had, why Mago had to let Sehun see this?_

“Shut up.” Baekhyun glared, embarrassed.

“Can I kiss you again? I wanna see it one more time.” Sehun teased and pressed another kiss on Baekhyun’s lips.

“Go away, bastard!” Baekhyun hit Sehun’s biceps and complained, but he eventually surrendered and let Sehun kiss him.

They ended up kissing till they both became sleepy and drifted off to dreamland. They had a good long sleep with each other in their arms.

_Even if I can’t hold you forever, at least let me hold you tight tonight._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooo! We have both jealous Sehun AND jealous Baekhyun in this chapter :P In my eyes, the moment Baekhyun said “I’m scared” was when they really made some progress in their relationship, it took a lot for him to admit his fear and feelings. In other words, it was one step closer to his closure too. Things will get more exciting!! By the way, do you wanna know about the story of Jieun? It has sth to do with Sebaek’s past but not directly related!


	9. Your Moonlight 05.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: NSFW content, long & wild (?) smut (please skip the part after they entered the suite to the paragraph starting with “It felt good to be surrounded by...” if you don’t wanna read smut)

✧  
_온종일 밤을 새워도 오  
Even if I stay up all night oh  
너의 생각은 멈춰지지 않아  
Can’t stop thinking about you  
한순간도 oh love  
Even for a moment, oh love_

✧  
The party was about to begin, the guests were entering the hall in groups. They were all in awe with the sumptuous interior design. The Great Hall was only used for important events like ceremonies or parties. In contrast to the rest of the hotel, the hall was luminous with white and gold as principal colours. The walls were covered with marble panels, sculptures and trophies were placed on white stucco marble columns at either side of the hall as decoration. Victorian-styled crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling with diamond-patterned panels added ambience to the festivities.

Buffet and beverage were served at a corner, the guests were mingling around when Junmyeon, Jongdae and Joohyun entered the hall after finishing all work. Junmyeon and Jongdae were wearing formal suits in dark gray and navy blue respectively. Joohyun, as expected, looked absolutely gorgeous with a black off-shoulder fishtail dress with her black long hair down. Junmyeon was completely stunned by her jaw-dropping beauty and Jongdae needed to remind him to control his expression.

They spotted Sehun close to the entrance and waved at him. Sehun was dressed in full black suits with a plain black choker on his neck and had his black hair styled up. Once he stepped inside the hall, he immediately caught everyone’s attention. 

“You can’t be real, Oh Sehun, how can you possibly be this perfect?” Jongdae complimented Sehun in his usual exaggerating manner. “I bet there’s gonna be a long queue of souls waiting to dance with you tonight.”

“I guess his little crush won’t let that happen.” Joohyun chuckled and pointed at Sejeong, dressed in a floral embroidered evening dress in pearl pink, approaching them with her signature wide grin on her face.

“Hi, everyone. I’m so excited for the party, it’s my first time dressing up like this, am I pretty?” Sejeong looked at Sehun with her large round eyes eagerly, fishing for compliment. 

“Yes, you look stunning today.” Right after Sehun praised Sejeong, there were loud cheers close to the spiral stairs. Baekhyun was walking down with Jieun next to him, holding his arm. Baekhyun wore a gray silver translucent dress shirt, a blazer with two columns of gems at either side, he looked ethereal in his styled silver hair.

“I have to take my words back, Sehun, I think you lost.” Jongdae’s mouth was wide open when he saw his boss. Baekhyun always dressed up nicely for this event, but he really went all out this time.

“Yah, I think I did.” Sehun’s eyes never left Baekhyun ever since he appeared, he couldn’t afford missing one single second of his beauty, and Sehun thought the word beauty itself was still an understatement of Baekhyun’s beauty. Baekhyun was perfect, he was _the definition of perfection_.

Baekhyun looked at Sehun’s direction for a short while and their gaze momentarily met. They didn’t manage to talk at all due to the packed schedule. They both knew sooner or later they needed to sort things out, but for now they decided to just enjoy the party.

Next to Baekhyun was the stunning-as-usual fashion queen, Jieun looked resplendent in a purple lace dress with a diamond rose shaped brooch. She had her hair tied up in an elegant bun. She held Baekhyun’s arm tightly while gracefully stepping down the stairs. 

“Dear all, welcome to our annual party, the most anticipating event of Hotel Del Luna. We hope you like the food and beverage we prepared. On behalf of all members of the hotel, we wish you an enjoyable night ahead. Now may we invite our co-directors, Baekhyun and Jieun, to start the first dance.” Junmyeon, as the host of the party, started the welcoming speech. 

The two co-directors started dancing at the centre of the ballroom. Baekhyun first kissed Jieun’s hand politely, then he placed one hand on her waist, the other holding her hand. They followed the slow waltz music and began stepping, sliding and turning. Their steps were so coherent, they knew each other’s move by heart, after all, they had been each other’s dance partner for centuries.

Junmyeon and Joohyun were one of the first few pairs to join the dance, more and more guests followed and the ballroom was soon filled with dancing couples. Sejeong grabbed Sehun’s hand and dragged him out for a dance.

“Oppa, I know they all wanna dance with you, but you are with me tonight.” She turned around and smiled at the crowd who was looking at Sehun with heart eyes, “sorry ladies, he is mine!”

They also started dancing, but Sehun couldn’t really focus on his dance partner, no matter how beautiful Sejeong was. His eyes only followed the trace of that perfect looking man with silver hair, who had another woman inside his arm right now.

 _No, I shouldn’t be jealous about that, he and Jieun have known each other for so long, of course they look at each other differently._ Sehun tried to convince himself not to mind the proximity between the two.

 _Argh, still, they don’t have to be that close. Damn it._ He couldn’t stop but furrowed his brows when he saw Baekhyun holding Jieun little bit closer than he should.

“Oppa, is everything alright?” Sejeong raised her brows and asked, puzzled by the irritated expression on Sehun’s face.

“Oh yah, sorry, I just... got distracted.” Sehun smiled and made up an excuse.

In the meantime, the said perfect looking man was also trying hard to refrain himself from staring at the other perfect looking man on the dance floor. Baekhyun stole occasional glances of Sehun, as subtle as possible. Of course, nothing could be hidden from Jieun’s hawk eyes.

“Your man looks handsome today, huh? You have been staring at him at least 56 times since we started dancing, it’s kind of disrespectful to your gorgeous dance partner, you know.”

“I didn’t.” Baekhyun objected, sounding unconvincing as he unintentionally turned his head towards Sehun’s direction again.

“Men are liars, and you, are a bad liar.” Jieun rolled her eyes, “I’m gonna go and invite the little princess for a drink, seize the opportunity to get your man.”

“I’m not...” Jieun didn’t give Baekhyun any chance to explain, she walked out of the dance floor when the song ended and dragged Sejeong to the mingling corner for a cocktail. She didn’t forget to send Baekhyun a mischievous wink, she mouthed the words _your pocket_ before she turned around.

Baekhyun realised that a key was put inside his pocket, a key with the word _Temptation_ engraved on it. It was the key of the _Temptation suite_. 

_No, there’s no way that I’m gonna sleep with him tonight._ Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

✧  
Instead of approaching Sehun, who was talking with a few guests, Baekhyun went to the rooftop bar. He saw Junmyeon taking out a box of wine alone so he offered to help, Junmyeon shook his head and said he could manage.

“Wait here, let me prepare a drink for you before I go.” Junmyeon quickly mixed a few drinks together and made a cocktail which Baekhyun hadn’t tried before. It was originally blue in colour but when Junmyeon added some lemon juice to it, it turned purple gradually. 

“Here you go, enjoy. Take your time and don’t drink too fast, it’s strong.” Junmyeon winked at Baekhyun playfully before he picked up the box of wine and went downstairs. 

Baekhyun took a sip of the cocktail and paused. _Wow, this is really strong._ He closed his eyes and allowed himself to take a short break from this long tiring day. 

Meanwhile, Junmyeon spotted Sehun in the mingling corner after he refilled the wine shelf. He grabbed Sehun’s elbow and dragged him out of the crowd. 

“What happened?” Sehun asked, confused.

“I’ve made a drink for you. Go to the rooftop bar and try it, let me know your feedback later.” Junmyeon led Sehun to the elevator and pushed him inside. “ _Have a great night._ ”

Sehun saw the drink Junmyeon left on the first table of the rooftop bar, he hadn’t seen cocktail in this colour before, purple, like the colour of _amethyst_. He inhaled deeply, but failed to figure out what had Junmyeon put inside. He took a sip casually and immediately coughed, it was strong, but tasted nice. It was difficult to describe, but it felt like all stress disappeared after taking a sip, this one single sip already made Sehun light-headed, he wondered if he would end up in paradise after finishing the whole glass.

Then, he realised he wasn’t the only one at the rooftop bar. Baekhyun was standing at the far end of the bar table, holding the same purple cocktail, drinking it tardily. He remembered he had to talk to Baekhyun about something, but he couldn’t remember what that was. 

He slowly approached his silver-haired crush, stopped right behind him and wrapped an arm around his waist. Baekhyun was startled at first but he could guess who was the owner of the hand. He turned around and looked at Sehun, his cheeks were rosy because of the alcohol. 

“Cheers?” Sehun smiled and offered his glass.

“Yah, cheers.” Baekhyun smiled back, clinking their glasses. 

After taking another few sips, Sehun put the glass on the bar table and immediately wrapped the remaining arm around Baekhyun’s waist. “You are so beautiful.”

The close proximity sent shivers to Baekhyun’s spine, he felt even hotter when Sehun was whispering towards his ear, exhaling deep.

“Am I?” Baekhyun leaned backward onto the bar table, tilted his head and gazed at Sehun hazily. He parted his lips slightly, sticking his tongue out a bit, looking hot as hell. It looked like an invitation, inviting Sehun to taste him.

Sehun got the signal, and it definitely had an impact on him. He felt hot blood flowing down and arousal started to engulf his rationality at a dangerous speed. He stepped closer and pressed himself against Baekhyun, who was now sandwiched between the bar table and the tall figure. His right hand caressed Baekhyun’s back up to his nape, then he cupped Baekhyun’s jaw, tilting it up.

“ _Always._ ” Sehun mumbled, voice turned deeper, gaze completely dark.

Sehun caressed Baekhyun’s lips with his thumb while pressing himself closer to the smaller until their chests were touching each other’s. Both could feel the tension accumulating in their bodies. Baekhyun could feel Sehun’s thumping heart against his chest. Sehun’s fierce gaze and hot breath drew him closer and closer to the forbidden territory, he was so tempted to give in.

And he did. He grabbed Sehun’s belt and started stroking his abdomen, he bit his lips when he felt the lines of Sehun’s well-toned abs. Baekhyun kept biting his lips to stop himself from moaning when his hand travelled down south and reached Sehun’s hot erection, it only took him several strokes to make it even harder.

Sehun gasped when Baekhyun kept stroking his cock with his slender fingers. He gazed at Baekhyun’s lustful face, biting his lips, his seductive eyes turning into a colour he hadn’t seen before - purple, the colour of amethyst. He couldn’t resist any longer, he pulled Baekhyun close and smashed their lips together. 

The kiss was aggressive and full of desire. They kept tilting their heads so they could deepen the kiss. Their lower bodies were grinding against each other, whimpers escaped from Baekhyuns’ mouth in between their hot kiss, which aroused Sehun even more.

Baekhyun managed to break their kiss and let out a few words, not even forming a complete sentence, while catching his breath, “don’t... not here... go back...”

Still panting, Baekhyun got the key from his pocket and passed it to Sehun. Sehun held him up and led him into the elevator. 

✧  
The two couldn’t even get their way to the suite, a few seconds after they got out from the elevator, Baekhyun was being pressed against the wall, Sehun took both of Baekhyun’s wrists and crashed his lips against Baekhyun’s again. He couldn’t wait but to intrude Baekhyun’s mouth with his tongue, he kept pressing and attacking, _wanting more_.

Sehun lowered his hands to grab Baekhyun’s waist, sliding them inside Baekhyun’s shirt to caress his delicate skin. Sehun’s hands were hot like flame and they made Baekhyun more turned on. Breathing heavily, Baekhyun closed his eyes and was obviously enjoying the pleasure from this sensual make out.

Sehun kissed his way to Baekhyun’s earlobe, he licked it back and forth with his tongue, making Baekhyun moan. He whispered into Baekhyun’s ear in a husky voice, “can you handle more, huh?” 

Sehun’s hot breath made the smaller shiver, Baekhyun shut his eyes, he felt like his whole body was boiling, it was so arousing. He wanted to have Sehun inside him, he wanted to be fucked so desperately. Baekhyun bit his lips, refraining himself from moaning again. Yet, he surrendered when Sehun lowered his head and sucked his nape. Of course, Sehun made sure he was leaving more visible and long-lasting marks on Baekhyun’s neck and collarbones than that ugly vampire.

“Ahh... hahhh...” Baekhyun scratched Sehun’s back and moaned, the corridor was so quiet that his moans, and the echos, could be heard clearly. 

“I can’t wait to mark every inch of your flawless body and fill you up completely with my...” Sehun smirked and kissed Baekhyun again, Baekhyun was so aroused that he kept rubbing his erection against Sehun.

Satisfied with Baekhyun’s reaction, Sehun tightened his grip and carried Baekhyun towards the suite.

✧  
The _Temptation suite_ was decorated in complete black, only exception being the king-sized bed with white bedsheets and silver bed frame, and the few crystal floor lamps.

Their lips never left each other’s for more than a second, they kept craving more. Sehun shoved Baekhyun onto the bed and locked both his wrists with his hands. He stared at Baekhyun intensely before pressing his lips against the smaller for another open-mouth smooch. 

Sehun kissed all over Baekhyun’s face, eventually making his way towards the sensitive spots on Baekhyun’s nape. The moment Sehun’s lips left Baekhyun’s, Baekhyun started moaning again. The sexy sound coming from Baekhyun’s mouth made Sehun almost out of control, he couldn’t wait any longer.

Sehun didn’t have the patience to unbutton Baekhyun’s shirt, he loosened his grip on Baekhyun’s wrists and ripped Baekhyun’s shirt open violently. He immediately lowered his head and sucked Baekhyun’s nipple one by one. The aggressiveness made the already turned on Baekhyun cry with desperation. 

“Sehun... oh... ahh...” Sehun kept licking Baekhyun’s nipples until they became hard, he could feel Baekhyun’s heavy panting. 

While Sehun was busy sucking, he suddenly felt some pressure on his hard cock, Baekhyun was stroking it back and forth with his free hand. Sehun raised his head and fixed his gaze with Baekhyun, Baekhyun was staring at him, exhaling deeply with mouth half open, his purple eyes blinking with overflowing desire.

“You want it, don’t you?” Sehun smirked, he took off his shirt, unbuttoned his pants and let his hard member out, even its veins could be seen clearly. Baekhyun continued stroking Sehun’s cock with his pretty hand while maintaining the eye contact, driving Sehun crazy with his skillful stroke and seductive gaze.

“ _Hmmm... it’s so huge, so hard_.” Baekhyun said breathily, immediately feeling the impact of his words. Sehun’s cock twitched in his hands and pre-cum started leaking.

“Fuck,” Sehun then lowered his head and bit Baekhyun’s lips, “you sound so needy huh, I know you can’t hold out for long.” 

Sehun was right, Baekhyun could no longer control his overwhelming desire, he wanted Sehun so badly. “Then why are you still waiting?”

“Cos you haven’t told me what you want.” Sehun smirked and sucked Baekhyun’s lips seductively, enjoying teasing him.

“Bastard... just shut up and fuck me.” 

Sehun smirked again, he took the lube from the nightstand and started preparing Baekhyun impatiently, both couldn’t wait to taste each other. Sehun inserted the third digit into Baekhyun’s hole and kept finger-fucking him until Baekhyun’s eyes fluttered close, the smaller whimpered and begged, “ahhh fuck... fuck me with your cock... _now!_ ”

“What about condom?” Sehun asked, a genuine question, but that almost drove Baekhyun insane.

“I’m a _fucking dead ghost, we don’t need a fucking condom!!!_ ” Baekhyun yelled, his breath stuttering, his burning body couldn’t stand this frustrating sexual cliffhanger. “Are you fucking me or not? If not, I’m gonna do it myself!”

Baekhyun got up, flipped over Sehun’s body, swapping their position. Now straddling the taller, he grabbed Sehun’s member and lowered his body slowly.

Sehun was first startled by Baekhyun’s action, then all of a sudden he was stimulated by the feeling of the head of his hard cock being tightly clenched by the hot wall, he groaned aloud. 

“Ahhh... Sehun...” Only the head of Sehun’s erection was enough to make Baekhyun moan with tears. He felt himself being speared open by the huge, hard cock. Baekhyun breathed heavily, he kept rolling his hips in an agonisingly slow pace, taking Sehun’s length bit by bit until it was completely inside. He felt so full, he was completely filled. 

Baekhyun started sinking his body down in a steady pace after adjusting to the huge thing inside him. He was absolutely overwhelmed by the friction, the pleasure started piling up after he went through the initial stage of pain, he moaned louder and louder when Sehun followed his motion and began thrusting up. His purple eyes met Sehun’s lustful stare, both savouring every second. 

“Arghh, you are riding my cock so good, _so fucking good_.” Sehun said in between his low groans, caressing Baekhyun’s bare thighs. He thrusted up with more force, resulting in another high-pitched whimper from Baekhyun.

“Let’s see how loud you can moan, Baek.” Sehun held Baekhyun’s waist and switched their position again. He wrapped Baekhyun’s legs around his waist and started thrusting in and out nonstop in an increasing speed.

“Ahhhhh.. there...” Baekhyun was so aroused, he couldn’t help but cried in pleasure when Sehun pushed his cock deeper, kept hitting right at Baekhyun’s prostate with each thrust. His moans were so erotic that made Sehun go more and more aggressive. He wanted to fuck Baekhyun senseless, and he was so close to achieving his goal.

Sehun lowered his head and bit Baekhyun’s lips sensually again, this time Baekhyun managed to bite his lips back. The two tongues eventually found their way to each other, making audible wet licking sound. It felt heavenly good, all the pleasure from different parts of their body adding up together, driving the two up to cloud 9.

Still craving for more, Sehun held Baekhyun’s lower waist and tilted him up, bending him so that he could fuck him at the best angle. He inclined himself slightly before he thrusted deep inside Baekhyun with full force, making the smaller scream. Then he repeated, fucking Baekhyun in and out, each retreat was followed by a deeper thrust, each attack resulted in a louder cry.

“You look so sexy, babe.” Sehun groaned again after another thrust, he went all out, he fucked Baekhyun so hard till the only thing the smaller could do was to moan Sehun’s name with eyes half-lidded, on the edge of coming. 

Both felt like they were close to climax, Baekhyun, while panting heavily, lowered his hand to caress his member which needed some urgent attention. He was so indulged that a couple of strokes were already enough to send him to heaven. This sensation of arousal was intoxicating. He moaned while reaching his orgasm, which was intensified by Sehun’s constant thrusts.

Feeling Baekhyun’s muscles had tightened, Sehun knew he couldn’t hold this for long, he thrusted hard, jackhammering Baekhyun last few times before burying his cock deep inside. He groaned aloud and filled Baekhyun completely with his hot load.

Sehun kept thrusting slowly while both of them were riding through their orgasm. This felt so good, he had never had sex with anyone before (well, in _this_ life), but having sex with Baekhyun was such a heavenly experience, he could do this everyday. 

Both were exhausted after the intense orgasm and were now lying on bed, Sehun wrapped his arms around Baekhyun’s waist, caressing him.

“I thought you never had anyone before?” Baekhyun asked with his eyes shut.

“No one. Why ask so, because I fucked you too good?” Baekhyun remained silent and Sehun knew he was right. Sehun smirked, he tightened his grip and kissed Baekhyun’s nape. Baekhyun’s skin was so sensitive after fucking, he couldn’t stop himself from moaning again.

“Baek, you sound so good.” Sehun whispered while exhaling hot breaths against Bakehyun’s rosy skin. “Now answer me. Who fucks you better, that ugly vampire or me?” His hands were now wandering freely on Baekhyun’s naked body, flipping his nipples, brushing his belly, eventually stopping at Baekhyun’s butt cheeks, squeezing them.

Baekhyun didn’t answer Sehun’s question, he was still trying to calm himself from the best orgasm he had ever had in his 1,000 years of existence. However, before he managed to pull himself together, Sehun’s touch was igniting fire on every inch of skin he had touched, it took minutes for Baekhyun to calm down, it only took seconds for him to get aroused again.

“You are ignoring me.” Sehun kept sucking Baekhyun’s collarbone, leaving another set of love marks. “Open your eyes, Baek.”

Baekhyun opened his eyes and stared at Sehun, Sehun smirked when he saw Baekhyun’s eyes were still in lustful purple, apparently both of them hadn’t had enough yet. 

“If you still can’t make up your mind, perhaps we should do this once more so that you can decide.” Sehun caressed Baekhyun’s face and pulled him close for a kiss. When their lips were busy chasing one another, Sehun crawled on top of Baekhyun, spread his legs and started thrusting again, Baekhyun’s body was still so sensitive and the thrust immediately had him whimpering in pleasure, desperately wanting to be fucked again.

“I’ll show you, only I can make you moan like this.”

✧  
It felt good to be surrounded by a warm body, Baekhyun didn’t want to open his eyes, he leaned backward naturally so his bare back touched the heat source. Sehun smiled at Baekhyun’s reaction, he tugged him closer and pressed his chest against Baekhyun’s back. 

He kissed Baekhyun’s earlobe and whispered, “babe, it’s almost noon. I think we have our weekly meeting at half past one.”

Baekhyun forced his eyes open unwillingly, he turned around and saw Sehun’s handsome face and smiley eyes, both were, of course, still naked. His sore lower back and limbs reminded him how aggressive the night before was, his cheeks instantly reddened.

“Don’t call me like that.” Baekhyun glared at Sehun for a second and looked away immediately. Sehun chuckled, _he is getting shy, so cute._

“That ugly vampire can call you babe but I can’t?” Sehun raised his brows, acted annoyed. He stroked Baekhyun’s back sensually again, his naughty hands wandered down and grabbed Baekhyun’s butt, at the same time he started grinding his lower body against Baekhyun’s.

“Yahhh! Stop!” Baekhyun shoved Sehun’s hand away but Sehun just smirked and crawled on top of him easily.

“You’re so tiny.” Sehun teased, he lowered his head and kissed Baekhyun on his lips. The kiss turned sensual within seconds, Sehun buried his face at the crook of Baekhyun’s neck, it was Sehun’s favourite area because he knew whenever he sucked or licked there Baekhyun would be letting out all pretty sounding moans.

And he was right, Baekhyun whimpered again. “Ahhh... stop... ahhhh...”

“You still sound so pretty after moaning all night.” Sehun chuckled, raised his head with satisfaction after seeing more hickeys appearing on Baekhyun’s neck. He pressed their lips together again while placing his hand on Baekhyun’s lower back, massaging gently.

“Oh... hmm...” Whimpers kept escaping from Baekhyun’s mouth when Sehun continued applying force on Baekhyun’s lower back.

“If you keep making sound like that, I can’t help myself from wanting to blow your back out again, and we will miss our weekly meeting for sure.” Sehun laughed evilly, he kissed Baekhyun one more time before leaving the bed. 

_Weekly meeting. Oh shit. That’s in 45 minutes._ Baekhyun cursed and immediately got up from the bed, but his sore body hindered his movement and he could only trudge back to his room like a rusted robot.

✧  
Baekhyun cleaned up and got changed the fastest he could. He went straight to his office, let out a sigh of relief knowing he was still 15 minutes early to the meeting. He sat down on the couch and took a deep breath, trying to recall what happened the night before. He couldn’t deny, every moment of this night of overindulgence was mersmerising, he honestly didn’t mind doing it again. Yet, he still felt weird, something didn’t add up.

 _He and Sehun were literally fucking all night long, yet neither of them had seen any visions. That sounded fishy._ Baekhyun’s brows frowned, he thought about the party, the dance, Jieun’s wink and the key, Junmyeon’s cocktail... _Damn, that cocktail, must be Mago then._ He was almost certain something was wrong with that drink.

While he was concentrating on his thought, a large hand caressing his thigh brought him back to reality. Sehun was sitting next to him, a hand on his thigh, the other around his shoulder. He leaned forward and wanted to kiss Baekhyun, Baekhyun struggled and tried to shove Sehun’s hand away. Sehun took Baekhyun’s wrists and pushed him down the couch. Now on top of Baekhyun, Sehun didn’t wait any longer but connected their lips immediately. 

“Hmmm... I miss you.” Sehun licked Baekhyun’s lips before kissing them again. 

“We’ve barely been apart for an hour!” Baekhyun was still struggling, but having his limbs all caged by Sehun, all he could do was to turn his head left and right to stop Sehun from abusing his lips.

“That’s already long enough, I miss your delicious lips.” Sehun bit Baekhyun’s lips suggestively, he slid his hands inside Baekhyun’s shirt and started grinding their bodies together again.

 _This bastard is really horny 24/7._ Baekhyun rolled his eyes, he had to do something or else Sehun wouldn’t stop.

“Leave me alone, Sehun!” Baekhyun hit Sehun’s biceps and yelled, “ _I’m not gonna let you fuck me in my office!!!_ ”

Baekhyun might not be that loud, but he was loud enough to let the three souls walking towards his office hear every single word. They immediately froze and looked at each other, eyes widened.

“Should we... go in?” Joohyun asked.

“I don’t wanna see something I shouldn’t see, I would say no.” Jongdae shrugged his shoulder and said.

“Why are you all standing here?” Jieun’s voice was heard from afar, she stared at the three souls with awkward expressions on their face, then she pushed the door of Baekhyun’s office before anyone could stop her.

It _seemed_ normal, Sehun and Baekhyun were sitting at their usual places. It only seemed normal, because there were way too many creases on Sehun’s shirt, because Baekhyun’s hair was messier than it should be, because the two blushed faces literally spelt _we were making out till the second you entered the room._

Jieun chuckled and took her seat next to Baekhyun. The meeting proceeded uneventfully for an hour. Before Jieun left to pick up her guest of the day, she made sure she teased Baekhyun for that whole string of hickeys on his neck. “Looks like you had a rough and exciting night, huh? Tell me everything later, _everything_.”

She winked before leaving Baekhyun’s office, the three souls soon followed and all of them burst into laughter once they left the office.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Baekhyun glared at Sehun and said. He finished packing up his files but before he managed to escape from the room, Sehun grabbed his wrist and pulled him close, back hugging him.

“Like what?” Sehun questioned, voice deep, his naughty hands started doing their routine again. 

“Like...” _Like you are going to devour me._ Baekhyun’s brain started to malfunction when he felt the outline of that hot long length pressing against his butt.

Sehun turned him around and smiled, “alright, I’m not forcing you, I guess you need some rest.” 

He added a few seconds later, closer to Baekhyun’s ear, “you look like you have been thoroughly fucked, and that’s _really_ hot.”

Baekhyun couldn’t stand Sehun anymore, he looked so sexy when he was flirting. “Let me go.”

Sehun smirked, then pointed at his lips with his index finger, “give me my well-deserved treat first.”

Baekhyun sighed before he tiptoed, leaned forward and kissed Sehun on his lips. Just when they both started to enjoy this unexpectedly gentle kiss, that familiar sudden current came and Baekhyun’s vision got blurred.

✧  
Baekhyun found himself in a modern apartment. There was a nicely baked chocolate chestnut cake on the dining table, on the surface of the cake stuck two birthday candles numbered “1” and “0”. A boy, presumably the birthday boy, was staring at it, but there was no excitement on his face. Instead, his eyes were reddened, he bit his lips, as if he wanted to stop tears from falling.

Then, Baekhyun heard a man and a woman arguing in the living room. The woman dashed towards the front door outrageously with a luggage.

“The paper was signed. I really can’t stand you any longer! You should have married your job!” That woman yelled.

“What on earth are you talking about?! I work like hell to secure a comfortable life for you and Sehun but I’m the one to be blamed now?!” That man fired back angrily.

“Comfortable life? Staying at home 24/7, doing all housework and taking care of a child is not the comfortable life I was looking for! I wanted to travel, I loved my work but I sacrificed my whole modelling career just for you, and look what have you done after we got married? You literally just leave me alone in this small apartment doing all the shit work! I can’t even recall when was the last time I had a break on my own without the need to take care of either of you!!” That woman screamed, almost hysterically, tears falling.

“Shut the fuck up! Sehun is here!” Both of them turned and looked at Sehun immediately, the boy’s face was pale, he didn’t say a word, but his tiny body was trembling.

“Sehun.” Sehun’s mother lowered her voice, “there are some disputes between omma and appa and... omma can’t live here anymore. Listen to appa and... take good care of yourself, okay?”

There was no response, Sehun just stared at his mother with a blank face. His mother patted his head one last time, then she grabbed her luggage and left the apartment.

Sehun’s father kneeled down, he wanted to comfort Sehun but Sehun pushed his hand away. He shoved the birthday cake onto the ground and rushed back to his bedroom. 

“I hate you all!” It was the last sentence he shouted before he slammed the door.

Standing at the corner, Baekhyun covered his face with his hand, tears started to fall from Baekhyun’s eyes uncontrollably. The pain was so intense and real, he felt his still heart ached as if it was being lacerated. He knew there was something different between this and all previous visions he had seen. 

_This was Sehun’s present life._

✧  
“Baek, are you alright?” Sehun was wiping the tears on Baekhyun’s face with his warm hand, he asked worriedly, “why are you crying all of a sudden?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Baekhyun faked a small smile, but he was immediately betrayed by his blue eyes.

“Did you see something unpleasant again?” Sehun tugged Baekhyun closer and stroked his hair repeatedly.

“That’s alright. I’m fine.” Baekhyun decided to keep this vision to himself for the time being, he buried his face into Sehun’s chest and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Baekhyun then told Sehun he had some urgent thing to discuss with Mago and excused himself. Seeing the concerned expression on Sehun’s face, Baekhyun reassured that he was fine and he would be back before dinner time. 

✧  
Baekhyun noticed a cup of lavender tea, apparently just prepared with hot water, on the coffee table in Mago’s library. _She knows everything, and I hate that._

“Oh dear, you are here!” Mago blew Baekhyun a kiss and Baekhyun snorted. “Last time you didn’t try my tea, this time you have to drink it.”

“You know why I’m here.” He glared at Mago furiously, “what the hell did you do this time, and why?”

“I just accidentally put a few drops of _cupiditas_ into your drink. I thought you’d like it.” Mago stared at the red marks on Baekhyun’s neck and smirked, “and I guess he must have loved it too.”

“A few drops of _cupiditas_? Are you insane?” _Cupiditas_ was a potion that had strong effect in boosting one’s sex pheromones. _No wonder I was so horny yesterday..._ Baekhyun almost lost his mind.

“Dear, _cupiditas_ won’t work if the two targets are not attracted to one another. Concentration of the potion increases in proportion to the intensity of the attraction, so, you guys sort of decided your own fate.” 

“Still... you don’t have to do that! You already made him see us having sex in his vision, isn’t that enough?” Baekhyun slammed the coffee table and shouted.

“I’m _facilitating_.” Mago smiled and responded calmly, sipping her tea.

“I thought you shouldn’t interfere our affairs?” 

“Not when two of you are silly and stubborn like that, you guys need a little push.” Mago emptied her cup. “Any more questions for me?”

“No.” Baekhyun slowly walked towards the spiral stairs, he noticed the flask of purple potion with a label _cupiditas_ on it, he grabbed the flask and smashed it onto the ground.

“Just stay away from our business from now on.” He disappeared from Mago’s library, once again leaving the lavender tea untouched.

 _Oh, dear, cupiditas is a rare drug, it doesn’t just cost a fortune, it takes up to a century to brew._ Mago sighed and shook her head, but a smirk gradually appeared on her face. 

_Right, that will do, he is gonna thank me later. Let’s just wait and see._

✧  
Sejeong found Sehun sitting on the bench at the botanic garden alone, deep in his thought. She sat down next to Sehun, “oppa?”

“Oh.. Sejeong.” Sehun had been thinking about Baekhyun the whole day, he wondered what urgent thing he needed to discuss with Mago, if that was related to what happened the night before.

“Can we talk? I have... one more favour to ask you, before I... move on.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Sehun listened to Sejeong attentively.

Sejeong took a deep breath before she told Sehun her request, a bold one. “Can you be my groom?”

Sehun choked and stared at Sejeong, “what?!”

“I... want to be a pretty bride and have a dreamy wedding... and... I want to have a groom like you.” Sejeong continued, little bit shy. “Am I asking too much?”

Sehun remained silent, thinking of a way to politely decline this request.

“Sejeong, listen. I’d love to help you fulfill your wishes so that you can move on without regrets, but... I can’t do this, I’m sorry.” He added after a short pause. “Marriage is supposed to be between two people who are in love. You can fake a date, but you can’t fake a wedding. I can’t pretend to be your groom when I already have someone whom I really love.”

Sehun decided to make himself clear, there was no point in lying to Sejeong at this stage. The smile on Sejeong’s face gradually faded, Sehun felt bad for disappointing her but he just couldn’t agree to this.

“Oppa, do you like director Byun?” Sejeong’s question made Sehun choke again.

“This... Yes, but, how do you know?” 

“I’m observant, also, you are pretty bad at hiding your affection. Your eyes are sparkling whenever he is near and you were staring at him the entire evening during the party. I’m sure anyone with normal eyesight would know.” Sejeong smiled again. “But still, thanks for being honest with me. I know this is too much to ask for.” 

“I’m sorry... if that disappoints you.”

“I guess if I can witness you two getting together officially, it will be less disappointing.”

Sehun chuckled, “then I guess I will be disappointing you once again.”

“I will stay until that happens.” Sejeong winked.

“How? I thought you’re supposed to...” Asked Sehun confusedly.

A familiar laugh was heard at the back, Jieun, dressed in blue floral peplum with white gloves, clapped and laughed while walking towards the two.

“Well done, girl. You passed.” Jieun gave Sejeong a thumbs-up.

Sehun looked at the two in confusion, eyebrows frowned. “What’s happening?”

“Oppa, if I could get you confess your love towards director Byun, Jieun unni is gonna let me stay in the hotel as a trainee, until I find my prince charming!”

“So two of you teamed up to make fun of me, huh?” Sehun glared at the two ladies who were cracking up.

“You are so cute, Sehun.” Jieun still couldn’t stop laughing. “Just go get your man as soon as possible, make a move!”

“I...” Sehun hesitated, what he wanted to say was _I don’t know what else can I do, I already did my very best yesterday_.

“Do something romantic! Stop your horny thoughts!! Don’t just think about having sex with him 24/7!!!” As if Jieun could read Sehun’s mind, she glared and teased.

“I can recommend some romantic K-drama for you to watch, I think you are in desperate need of some professional assistance.” Sejeong followed Jieun and teased Sehun.

“Okay, I surrendered, stop teasing me, I promise I will look into that. But Jieun, are you sure she can stay?” 

“Yah, Mago said it is fine as long as I have the money. I just sold my old yacht so, I have sufficient capitals to do whatever I want.” Jieun smiled proudly, “Sejeong studied hotel management and graduated with first class honour, I’m pretty sure she will be a valuable asset to our hotel.”

“Just make sure you are not gonna buy a new yacht in a month’s time. We will see.” Sehun sighed.

✧  
Sehun was holding his I-pad in his bedroom, watching the clips Sejeong just sent him. The first clip was someone holding 99 red roses and a diamond ring, proposing on a helicopter. 

_Where on earth can I find a helicopter? Is this guy insane? Next._ Sehun rolled his eyes.

The second clip showed a handsome guy bringing his partner to a luxurious restaurant with 360-degree sea view for a buffet dinner.

 _Baekhyun has been living in this hotel all the time, he won’t be impressed by this._ Sehun shook his head.

The last one was a young man singing a love song towards his fiancée while playing piano in their wedding.

 _Argh, this is romantic, but I am tone-deaf, I can’t even sing ‘Doe, a deer a female deer, Ray, a drop of golden sun’ properly, so it’s another no go._ Sehun sighed.

Lying on his bed, Sehun looked at the ceiling and let out a frustrated groan. _What should I do?_

Meanwhile, Jieun and Baekhyun were sitting next to each other in Baekhyun’s office, serious expression on both face.

“What do you think?” Jieun asked, holding the file containing the information of a new guest.

“Sehun can’t take this, it’s _conflict of interest_.” Baekhyun said, coldly. He took the file from Jieun, scanning through it with his sharp gaze. “I’m gonna pick this guest up, on my own.”

“Baek, are you sure? I can...” Jieun wondered if this would be a wise choice but she got interrupted by Baekhyun.

“You just focus on tracking the two evil spirits and l will handle this.” Baekhyun insisted. Jieun gave up arguing, she knew once he had made a decision, there was no way to change his mind.

“Make sure Sehun will stay away from my office tomorrow, at least until I finish my session.” He added, Jieun nodded. 

Baekhyun read the file word by word again, he couldn’t help but clenched his fists tight, his eyes turning reddish. _Rage_.

_I’m not gonna let this slip easily, you’ll need to pay your price._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut isn’t the thing I enjoy writing the most but... here it is (I really *tried*). The two were abnormally horny because of Mago’s “facilitation” and that was quite fun to write. I guess I will stay away from smut for a while though, this consumes too many brain cells hahaha.
> 
> As usual, I’ll post some pics on my twitter when I have time. I hope you enjoy reading this update! Let me know if you have any comments/thoughts. 
> 
> P.s. it’s snowing at the city where I live so stay warm everyone :)


	10. Cherry Blossom Love Song 05.

✧  
_스쳐가는 바람에 내게 떨어지는  
With the blowing breeze  
벚꽃 잎은 그댈 닮아 이리 쓸쓸한가  
The cherry blossoms falling on me resembled you  
칼에 벤 상처 보다 더 깊게 아려온  
How lonely this feels, it hurt more than a wound from a cut  
그댈 새긴 가슴  
When I engraved you in my heart_

✧  
Dressed in his usual all-black suits, Baekhyun sat in the conference room, glowering at his guest sitting opposite to him. The room was filled with suffocating silence, neither of them said anything.

 _She appeared much older than she looked in the vision._ Baekhyun spun his pen, pondering while keeping his gaze fixed on his guest. It was his job to treat each guest equally, assisting them regardless what they had done when they were alive. Yet, for the first time in his career, he found it hard to stay objective and biasless. 

“If I was given a choice, I will never let you in our hotel.” Baekhyun finally spoke up. “But unfortunately I wasn’t, so, let’s get things sorted now. This is Hotel Del Luna and I’m Byun Baekhyun, co-director of this hotel. You will stay here until you clear your unfinished business and move on to your next life. I will give you some time, tell me what you want me to do in order to assist you. Be quick and precise, you better not waste my time.”

The woman sitting opposite to Baekhyun remained quiet for a couple of minutes, then she raised her head and said, “I have nothing to fix and don’t need you to do anything for me, just let me go.”

Baekhyun was infuriated by the woman’s attitude, he clenched his fists under the table and said flatly, “Souls won’t end up here if they don’t have anything to fix.”

“And in your particular case, divorced twice, abuse against domestic worker, alcoholism, you basically screwed your whole life up, didn’t you?” 

“So what? I died already, why should I bother?” 

Baekhyun knew there was no use continuing the talk, so he decided to adopt an alternative measure. He exhaled, “if that’s what you insist for now, I will let you rest a bit and we will talk again tomorrow.”

He requested Jongdae to bring her to her room, Jongdae’s face turned white after he heard the command, “Baekhyun, are you sure?”

“Yes, just do it. Remember to lock the door.” Jongdae followed Baekhyun’s order and left the conference room together with the woman. 

Baekhyun spun his pen again, a smirk slowly appearing on his face. He had sent the woman to _room 444_ , a room that was believed to be cursed. Souls staying in that room would have repeating nightmares and hallucinations of the unpleasant and regrettable things happened in their lives, it was like a _mental interrogation_. Given its cruel nature, the room was left empty most of the time but Baekhyun decided to send the woman there before he ran out of patience in dealing with her.

✧  
“So, any change to your answer after a _good_ rest?” Baekhyun raised his eyebrows and asked the woman.

The woman looked paler than the day before, apparently she didn’t have a ‘good’ rest. She had her entire life flashing back in her mind the whole night, she saw how her first family broke apart, how her son stared at her with his blank face and sorrow eyes, how her second husband couldn’t stand her temper and left her, how her domestic helper glared at her with hatred with several bruises on her face and arms, how her life after the second divorce was completely messed up with over-consumption of alcohol and... how it ended with a sudden heart attack.

The woman remained silent, thinking about the word, _regret_. She thought about which events in her life ended up as regret, or rather, which didn’t. She screwed up her whole life, and the ones close to her suffered, without exception. It was pointless fixing anything, the scars were too deep, the damage was too severe, and it was too late.

“ _Just let me go._ ” She repeated what was said yesterday.

Baekhyun wasn’t pleased with this answer, he glared at the woman, “you better not challenge my patience...”

The door of Baekhyun’s office was suddenly opened, Sehun entered and said, “Baekhyun, do you have a moment to discuss this month’s financials, there’re some...”

Sehun’s motion was completely frozen when he saw the woman sitting right opposite to Baekhyun, the files he was holding dropped onto the floor. _Shit, today is the day when the monthly financial figures are out._ Baekhyun panted heavily.

Before Baekhyun could say anything, Sehun rushed outside and slammed the door. Baekhyun immediately called Jongdae and asked him to bring the woman back to the room. 

“I’ll give you one more chance, if I hear the same answer the third time tomorrow, you’re out of our hotel and you will lose your chance to move on forever. _Think wisely_.” Baekhyun warned the woman, emphasising the last two words, before he left the conference room.

The woman was completely startled, her mouth wide open, she breathed heavily while murmuring to herself, “Sehun... Why is he here? Is he dead? No it can’t be...”

✧  
Baekhyun was pacing back and forth in front of Sehun’s room, not sure what to do. Jieun was on the way back to her offie, she noticed Baekhyun and immediately sensed something went wrong.

“What happened?” She asked. Baekhyun seldom showed his emotion but there was trivial unease written on his face.

“I forgot I should be discussing this month’s numbers with Sehun, he entered my office when I was talking to... his mother.” Baekhyun sighed, blaming himself for making such a stupid mistake.

Jieun smiled, “then why don’t you just go inside and check on him if you are this worried?”

“I am not worried!” Baekhyun defended himself at once, “I just feel awful for messing my plan up, that woman is a real pain.”

“Liar, just get a mirror and look at your _I-am-damn-concerned-about-Sehun_ face, you can fool nobody, not even yourself.” Jieun took her set of spare keys, opened the door and pushed Baekhyun in. “This is violation of our privacy rule, but I’m gonna break it just for you. Now go and comfort your man.”

Sehun was standing next to the window, staring at the dark sky with his hollow eyes. The sky was shedding tears, raindrops hitting the window glass, gloomy cries echoing in the room. Baekhyun slowly approached the taller and grasped his sleeve.

“Are you... alright?” Asked Baekhyun gently, he felt his heart ached again when he saw Sehun’s melancholic eyes.

“You know who she is, don’t you?” Sehun didn’t respond to Baekhyun’s question.

“Yah, I saw what happened last time when we...” Baekhyun bit his lips, “I’m not trying to hide anything from you, I just wanna talk to her and sort things out first... I’m sorry that you found out this way.”

“Do you also think I’m pathetic?” Sehun let out a disheartened sigh and turned his head away, “You once said you don’t need empathy, I don’t need it, neither.”

The room was once again filled with heart-sinking silence, but Baekhyun could hear Sehun’s helpless cry. It was always Sehun approaching and comforting him when things went wrong, perhaps it was time for him to return the favour.

Sehun felt a pair of cold arms wrapping around his waist from behind, Baekhyun leaned his forehead on Sehun’s shoulder, pressing his lips against Sehun’s scapula. 

“It’s not... it’s not like that.” The smaller whispered, “I just... don’t want you to deal with this alone.”

Sehun turned around and stared at Baekhyun, surprised to see his eyes in sapphire blue. “So are you... worrying about me?”

Baekhyun frowned his eyebrows, pouting his lips a bit, “do you have to make things that explicit?”

“So you really are.” Sehun chuckled, finally feeling his heavy heart slightly relieved. He caressed Baekhyun’s cheek before tugging him close for a hug.

“You are so annoying.” Baekhyun murmured while burying himself in Sehun’s chest, listening to his racing heart.

They held each other like that for a while, neither of them wanted to let the other go. Sehun placed his hand on Baekhyun’s nape and brought his head close till the two foreheads were touching.

“Can you stay for the night?” Sehun asked, “I want you to stay with me. _I... I need you_.”

Baekhyun backed away a little bit and looked at Sehun, he could see honesty, longing and fondness in his eyes. For the first time in these centuries, he lifted the corners of his lips geniunely, smiled at Sehun and nodded.

✧  
The warmth was way too comfortable, it made Baekhyun want to fight against his biological clock. He opened his eyes unwillingly and the first thing appeared in front of him was Sehun’s smiling face. They hadn’t been sleeping together since that crazy rough night. Baekhyun immediately blushed when he thought about what happened that night.

“Good morning.” Sehun pressed a morning kiss on Baekhyun’s forehead and asked, “what are you thinking about? Your cheeks are all red.”

“Nothing.” Baekhyun responded, little bit too rush and too loud. Sehun smirked, he knew what probably made Baekhyun shy, because he was also thinking about the same thing.

“Nothing?” Sehun raised his brows and teased. “You look so cute when you are shy, made me wanna do that with you again.”

“Shut up, you brat!” Baekhyun pouted, “don’t even think about that, I have tonnes of work to do today.”

He hesitated for a short moment, but he eventually scooted closer to Sehun and pressed their lips together for a few seconds.

“I will... let you know how things go tonight. Don’t worry.” Baekhyun reassured Sehun before walking towards the door.

“Baek.” Baekhyun stopped and turned around when he heard Sehun calling his name, “thanks, I feel much better when you are by my side, it means a lot to me.”

Baekhyun smiled at him again before returning to his own room to get changed and prepare for his final meeting with Sehun’s mother. 

Sehun was left alone in his room, he sat on his bed with mixed emotions. On one hand, he was glad that Baekhyun was finally opening up to him, admitting his feelings. The precious smile on Baekhyun’s face and the genuine concern shown in his eyes made him warm-hearted. He felt _loved_. On the other hand, he was still unsure what to feel about his mother. Sehun felt like he was an explosive, rage, disappointment and sadness over the past 20 years were engulfing him. When he finally saw her again, the wick was lit and an explosion became inevitable.

Yet, he knew it was useless overthinking about things, he decided to trust Baekhyun and focused on the other tasks on his plate for the time being.

✧  
“You better not waste my time again today, Ms Yoo.” Baekhyun started with the usual stern tone. Yet, he sensed some subtle changes in the woman’s attitude, even she hadn’t started talking. She was as pale as the day before, but her gaze looked different.

“Why... is Sehun here? Is he dead?” Ms Yoo asked. Baekhyun raised his brows, calculating in his mind how to play around with this situation.

“Privacy rule forbids us from disclosing others’ details, even if the two are blood-related.” Baekhyun leaned forward, kept staring at Ms Yoo, “but I’m curious, why are you so sure that he is your son? I thought you left him when he was just 10 years old?”

Ms Yoo had her arms crossed, she gasped both her elbows with her hands and sighed defeatedly. “You’re right that I left him when he was only 10 years old, but after that I’ve seen him twice. His dad sent me the time and venue of his high school and university graduation, I was there in both occasions but he didn’t know about that.”

Baekhyun tilted his head slightly, “how did you feel, when you saw other students were surrounded by loving parents, while there was one empty space besides Sehun?”

“I felt... _guilty_.” She admitted faintly.

“For what exactly?” Baekhyun knew he was almost there, just a few more questions.

“I should have stayed... and given him... the love and care he deserved.” Her voice became shaky.

“So out of all the mess you have had in your life, is this your _biggest regret_ \- not loving your son the way you should have?”

“Probably... yes.”

“Alright, I think we are done for now, I’ll see what I can do for you. Any questions for me for the time being?” Baekhyun closed his notebook and looked at Ms Yoo.

“Can you... at least tell me if he is still alive... _please_.” She begged, Baekhyun noticed a few drop of tears were falling from her cheek. “ _Please._ ”

“I’ll need his consent for that.” Baekhyun opened the door of his office, Jongdae was already waiting outside. “Now, please follow Jongdae, you will stay in another guest room tonight.”

✧  
Sehun heard a knock on his door, Baekhyun entered his office and sat down next to him on the couch.

“Are you feeling alright?” Asked Baekhyun gently, he put his hand on Sehun’s thigh and patted it naturally.

“Hmmm, not as bad as yesterday I guess.” Sehun took Baekhyun’s hand and started caressing his palm with his thumb.

“Then do you wanna know what we talked about just now?” Baekhyun wanted to make sure Sehun was emotionally stable.

Sehun eventually nodded. Baekhyun took his mobile out and started playing the recording of the conversation he just had with Sehun’s mother. He was looking at Sehun all the time, observing the change of his facial expression. Baekhyun could feel the grip on his hand was tightened, he kept stroking Sehun’s thigh. There was a couple of minutes of silence after the whole recording was played.

 _She was there at my two graduations. She felt guilty for not loving me. She regretted for not staying with me. She was concerned if I’m still alive._ Sehun’s heart was beating fast, he didn’t know what to feel about what he heard just now. That desperate _please_ from his mother kept repeating in his head, he sighed frustratedly.

Then he felt the familiar pair of cold arms wrapping around his waist, Baekhyun leaned closer to Sehun and whispered, “usually we can’t disclose the conversation like this, but it’s the only way I can help her. I know this must be hard for you. What she has done was egregious, and it is not something you can let go in just a couple of days. Once certain actions are done and words are said, they can only be forgiven, not forgotten. I’m not even saying you should forgive her... it is entirely up to you, whether you want to give her a chance.”

“Remember, there is no right or wrong in the matter of forgiveness, so just follow your heart. Whatever your decision is, I’ll back you up.” Baekhyun raised his head and placed a quick peck on Sehun’s cheek.

Sehun kissed Baekhyun’s forehead back and said, “I’ll think about it.”

“Should we go for a walk in the garden?” Baekhyun suggested, thinking both of them needed some fresh air.

It always felt good to be kissed by the warm sun, Sehun held Baekhyun’s hand and ambled along the path. He felt Baekhyun’s tenseness and saw Baekhyun’s slightly blushed face when he turned around. 

“You’re shy.” Sehun stopped and chuckled, then he pulled Baekhyun close and placed a sudden kiss on his lips, making the smaller whine.

“Yahhh don’t do that in public! It’s violation of our _Code of Conduct rule no. 412_!!” Baekhyun wanted to fling Sehun’s arms away but didn’t succeed.

Sehun laughed at Baekhyun’s overreaction, “Well, what a _coincidence_ , Jieun removed that line a couple of weeks ago, so you better start getting used to this.”

He closed the gap between the two again before Baekhyun got the chance to curse anyone. “I don’t know you can be so cute, you really lighten my mood.” 

“Bastard.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes, which were now pinkish. _The colour of cherry blossom, the colour of romance and affection_.

Meanwhile, Jieun and Sejeong were stalking them inside the hotel, each holding a pair of binoculars on their hands. The two ladies couldn’t stop giggling at Baekhyun’s timid reaction. 

Sehun and Baekhyun resumed their leisure walk, eventually reaching the cursed tree. Baekhyun’s mouth opened wide when he saw the flowers on the tree blossomed fully. Pink petals started falling gracefully when the wind blew, showering the garden with bliss and hope.

Baekhyun had witnessed his _soul tree_ remaining withered and lifeless with the passage of time, and finally, finally it blossomed again after all these years. His eyes turned teary, his mind full of mixed emotions. Those were the tears of joy, for he had been waiting for his rescue for so long. Those were also the tears of sorrow, for he knew very well that the clock was ticking, his time was running short.

He had been preparing himself for one thousand years, but at this moment, Baekhyun realised for the first time that he was not ready to _move on_. He didn’t want closure, he wanted Sehun. 

“This is stunning.” Sehun was amazed by the view, he held Baekhyun tightly, “as picturesque as the one back then, isn’t it?”

Baekhyun forced a smile on his face, “yes, this is the first time this tree blossoms. It reminds me of... _that time_.”

“Baek,” Sehun noticed the gloominess in Baekhyun’s eyes, “does the cherry blossom make you sad?”

“It just brings back... too many memories... _and pain_.” Baekhyun sighed, feeling bad for ruining this romantic moment.

Sehun cupped Baekhyun’s cheeks with both his hands, he leaned forward and kissed his lover again. He could taste the bitterness on Baekhyun’s lips. He wanted to ease the pain Baekhyun had been enduring, he wanted to share Baekhyun’s burden, he wanted to shower Baekhyun with love.

✧  
The electric current came and brought Sehun back to the cherry blossom tree. The rain was pouring, Sehun saw a figure sitting by the lake, completely soaked in water. 

It took a short while for the rain to stop, he could finally see _Beotkkot_ clearly. _He is on his own, then where is...?_ Sehun wondered.

“Where are you?” _Beotkkot_ mumbled, “is it... because of the war...”

“It has been just a month, but... I miss you. _Manwol-ah_.”

Suddenly, a strong flash of lightning brightened the dark sky, followed by a loud crack. Sehun closed his eyes out of reflex and when he opened his eyes again, the sky was crystal clear with no trace of rain, _Beotkkot_ was sitting at the same place, but he was completely dry.

“Are you coming tonight?” _Beotkkot_ held his necklace tight and sighed. 

“You are a liar... you still haven’t told me your name... how can I find you?”

“Don’t leave me alone, _please, come back_.” 

A sudden strong wind blew and forced Sehun’s eyes shut again, he saw _Beotkkot_ dressing in a different Hanbok when the wind stopped. _So it’s another month_ , he thought.

 _Beotkkot_ was still sitting by the lake alone, he pressed the necklace close to his lips, silent tears falling from his eyes.

“Wherever you are, please be safe...”

“I will wait for you here, please be safe...”

“Even if we will never meet again, please be safe...”

He picked a fallen cherry blossom from the floor and held it on his hand, a purple butterfly landed on the flower for a few seconds before flying away. He closed his eyes and smelt the refreshing scent of the flower, a few drops of tears fell onto the pink petal.

“ _I love you._ ”

✧  
“Sehun... Sehun...” Baekhyun’s voice brought Sehun back to reality, he realised that he was panting heavily and his vision was blurry, tears about to fall. 

He immediately pulled Baekhyun close, “Baek...”

“What happened? Did you see anything?” The unusual expression on Sehun’s face made Baekhyun worried. Sehun didn’t respond immediately, he kept holding Baekhyun, as if he would be gone once he loosened his grip.

“Baek, did I... did I abandon you?” Sehun stuttered while asking the question, because he was afraid of hearing an affirmative answer.

Baekhyun bit his lips, “no.” _It was something worse_ , but he left this part unspoken. He had been thinking if he should tell Sehun the whole story, but whenever he tried recalling those scenes, his mind would be overflowing with pain and his whole body would tremble uncontrollably for a long while. As much as he wanted to be honest with Sehun, that was just too much, he couldn’t do it.

“It was something that neither of us could have ever expected... but don’t bother too much about it.” Baekhyun decided to switch the topic, Sehun would eventually figure that out, “it’s getting dark now, let’s go back.”

✧  
Neither of them had a proper sleep that night, they were bothered by different things. Baekhyun scooted closer to Sehun naturally, he wondered for how long he would be able to sleep peacefully in Sehun’s arms. It took him a thousand years to feel at ease again, he wasn’t ready to let this comfort go.

Sehun looked at Baekhyun’s sleeping face and recalled what he told him earlier. _There is no right or wrong in the matter of forgiveness, so just follow your heart._ Sehun made up his mind to talk to his mother the next day, he didn’t do it just for his mother, he also wanted to do it for himself. The least thing he wanted, was to regret years later for not handling this matter rationally.

Waking up slightly later than usual, Sehun realised the other half of the bed was empty, Baekhyun probably went out to pick up his guest. _Time to get things settled_ , Sehun thought. He quickly got changed and went straight to room _Chrysanthemums_ , where his mother was staying. His mother almost fainted when she opened the door and saw her son standing right in front of her. They stared at each other without saying anything, both scared of initiating the conversation.

“Do you perhaps... want a coffee?” Sehun finally gave in and asked.

It took his mother a few seconds to fully understand this invitation, she immediately nodded. They went to the cafe and took the table close to the botanic garden, Sehun ordered a latte for his mother and a bubble tea for himself (yes, bubble tea made it to Luna cafe’s menu despite Junmyeon’s strong resistance). 

“I’m still alive, in case you wonder.” Sehun decided to explain himself first, “I just work here so I’m able to see souls.”

“That’s... great.” His mother’s voice sounded shaky. She was emotional to see her son again, yet, guilt started to eat her up, the one sitting opposite to her now was her son and at the same time, a complete stranger. 

“Hunnie I...” She didn’t dare to look at her son, she kept her head low, “I’m really sorry... I ruined your life.”

Junmyeon brought the latte and bubble tea to their table, he looked at Sehun with a concerned expression. Sehun gave him a reassuring smile, telling him that he was fine.

“Yes, you did.” Sehun said after taking a sip of his favourite bubble tea. He didn’t deny, he had had a hard time growing up without his mother. “But the battle was over, I made it through, _without you_.”

His mother didn’t know how to react, she couldn’t cope with the guilt, but she knew very well that was what she deserved. “You... you’ve grown so well.”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “Hunnie, I’m not seeking your forgiveness, I know I don’t deserve it. I just wanna tell you, like what I’ve told director Byun, I... wish I have stayed with you and have loved you the way a mother should... I... don’t know what to say apart from... _I’m sorry_.”

Sehun was still chewing the tapioca balls, trying to calm his thoughts. He swallowed them and said, “I don’t think I’m ready to forgive you, not sure if I’ll ever be ready to do so neither.”

He sighed before continued, “I just wish you won’t do this ever again.”

“I won’t.” His mother promised. “Never.”

“Please love your family in your next life, _omma_.” Sehun said after finishing his bubble tea.

Tears started to fall from his mother’s eyes once she heard Sehun calling him _omma_ , she knew she couldn’t ask for more. It had been almost 20 years since he last called him omma, it literally sent goosebumps to her nerves. A wistful smile appeared on her face, “I promise.”

Both cups were emptied by now, they knew it was about time to call an end to their conversation. Sehun made it clear that he wasn’t able to forgive his mother, and she acknowledged this fact. 

Sometimes, life was not as ideal as one imagined, what one could do was to accept the reality, move on and work harder for a better future.

✧  
They returned to the hotel and saw Baekhyun at the lobby with a good-looking guy who was in his late twenties. The first thing Baekhyun wanted to do was to check if Sehun was doing fine, but seeing him walking side by side with his mother made him relieved. _Probably they have talked, and it looks like it went well._ Baekhyun decided to leave this topic till they were on their own at night, they still had to work after all.

“Sehun, he is our new guest.” Baekhyun signalled the guy to introduce himself.

“Hi, I’m Park Bogum. I’m 28 years old, I used to work at my family’s private art museum. I... guess I’m the unlucky minority that died because of food poisoning.” Bogum let out a bitter laugh. “I’ve never imagined accidentally eating some contaminated food can be fatal.”

“That’s really... unfortunate.” Sehun responded. “I’m Oh Sehun, general manager of Hotel Del Luna. Welcome to our hotel and I hope you will enjoy your stay. Don’t hesitate to let me know if I can assist you with anything.”

“You probably want to have some rest first, Sehun will bring you to your room. We can talk tomorrow.” Baekhyun passed the key to Sehun, Sehun took the chance to grab his hand and intertwined their fingers.

“Let’s go together, we have to catch up afterwards anyway.” Sehun ignored Baekhyun’s glare and insisted in taking his hand. 

He then turned to his mother and said, “you should also have some rest.”

Four of them were waiting for the elevator and soon they heard its arrival gong. The elevator door opened and Joohyun stepped out with a huge pile of cotton towels on her hand, blocking two-third of her face. One of them dropped to the floor and Bogum helped her picking it up at once.

“Thank you.” Joohyun put the towels on the side cupboard and thanked Bogum properly. 

Bogum was about to smile back but the moment he saw Joohyun’s face, he lost his footing and fell to the ground.

“Is anything wrong?” Joohyun asked, didn’t understand the startled expression on Bogum’s face.

“I think... I have seen you before.” Bogum’s unexpected response made the rest of them equally shocked.

Joohyun had been staying in Hotel Del Luna for almost 200 years, how could Bogum possibly meet her before? 

✧  
They decided to hold an emergency meeting after accompanying Sehun’s mother back to her room. Junmyeon and Jongdae joined the four of them in the conference room. Jieun and Sejeong were nowhere to be seen.

“Can you tell us what you mean by you have seen Joohyun before? She has been with us for... quite a long while.” Baekhyun asked.

“I... I didn’t mean that I have met her in person, but I have definitely seen her face before. It was... a painting, I have seen her portraits!” Bogum finally recalled why Joohyun’s face looked so familiar.

“Are you sure?” Baekhyun frowned his eyebrows, still reluctant to believe in this coincidence.

“Yes, I’m sure those are her portraits. I have... never seen such a pretty woman before so it left really strong impression.” Bogum admitted, little bit shyly. Junmyeon faked a cough and glared at Bogum after hearing his compliment.

Baekhyun turned around to look at Joohyun, who was holding her breath. She blinked her round eyes a few times, before tears started falling. Junmyeon immediately passed her some tissues and put his hand on hers.

“So my paintings were not destroyed...” Joohyun let out a sigh, she took a few deep breaths before telling the others her story, the secret she had hidden for so long.

“Ever since I was a child, I was enthusiastic about art, I studied very hard, practised everyday and eventually became a painter. Yet, as you could imagine, it was still not accepted widely in society for women to have a successful career. Women were supposed to stay at home, obey and serve their husband. I wanted to change this stereotype so badly, I wanted the world to acknowledge women can be talented too, but after all, _it takes two to tango_. Some conservatives thought I was too high-profiled. They hired someone to set my studio on fire, that person drugged and drowned me in the lake. I... have been waiting for the culprit to be caught, but nothing happened till this moment.” 

None of the others said anything, the room was filled with dead silence for a couple of minutes. Baekhyun finally chose to speak up, “but it has been so long already, if they were not able to catch that person back then, it’s not likely...”

“I know.” Joohyun interrupted, she forced a smile on her face, “I don’t really have high hope on that, but at least my paintings are still here... it’s already a miracle to me.”

“So where are the paintings now?” Junmyeon asked.

“They are at my grandparents’ house. My family has always been keen on collecting paintings. Those paintings have been there for decades. I remember I’ve seen 3 portraits and a couple of _Chaekgeori_ still-life paintings by the same anonymous person, those could be your work.” Bogum explained.

“Joohyun, if your wish is to let the world see your work, I think we can help you.” Baekhyun offered.

✧  
“Have you decided who should you call?” Baekhyun asked when he and Bogum gathered in his office at mid-night. Due to privacy reason, Baekhyun refused to let the others in so Sehun, Joohyun and Junmyeon were waiting at the lobby.

Bogum nodded, “I’ll call my sister.”

Baekhyun took an old-fashioned vintage phone out. “Usually we don’t offer this to guests as this service is extremely pricey, but since this is an exceptional incident, we’ll let you call your sister, once it is connected you will appear in her dream. She will remember every single word you say when she wakes up. Dial it when you are ready, make sure you have what you need to say in your mind, you only have five minutes.” 

Bogum nodded and dialled his sister’s number. The ringtone changed after a couple of seconds, Baekhyun signalled Bogum to start talking.

“Heera-ah, it’s me, your favourite oppa. How are you?” Bogum paused momentarily, trying to calm himself. “You must miss me a lot right? No one is gonna argue with you everyday, complain about your cooking and make fun of your abstract artwork. I... miss you too, miss your laughter and your energetic voice.”

“But listen, I have something important to tell you, you have to pay attention. Remember that pretty lady’s portraits and the few _Chaekgeori_ still-life paintings at grandpa’s place? I got to know that the lady is called Bae Joohyun, B-A-E J-O-O-H-Y-U-N, she was born on 29 March 1791. She was a brave woman who was unfortunately murdered before any of her work got a chance to be appreciated by the public. Please, talk to the art foundation to arrange putting her work as a permanent exhibition.”

“You will receive a file containing her details very soon, I know this sounds absurd, but please trust me and everything written on the file. Heera-ah, I don’t have much time left. My little sister, sorry for leaving you on your own, please take good care of yourself. If you ever feel lonely, paint me. _I exist in your memory, and I remain alive in your art. I love you._ ”

Five minutes were too short, Bogum had too much to say but he ran out of time soon. Luckily, he managed to tell his sister all the important things. He hoped Heera would follow his instruction once she received Joohyun’s information. The two left Baekhyun’s office to meet the others at the lobby. Bogum gave Joohyun a reassuring smile, emotional tears started falling from her eyes again. 

“Thank you, I... don’t know how to express my gratitude.” Joohyun said in a shaky voice.

“You don’t have to.” Bogum smiled. “Your talent deserves to be recognised by the world. I hope it will go smooth.”

“Bogum, thank you for everything you did for Joohyun.” Baekhyun also thanked Bogum for his help, “I believe all of you have had a long day and it’s almost two now. Let’s have a good rest, we will catch up tomorrow. Good night.” He dismissed the group and left with Sehun and Bogum.

Joohyun’s smile suddenly faded when her gaze met with Junmyeon’s. Being overwhelmed with joy made her momentarily forget the other concern she had in her mind. _Once her closure is sought, she has to leave Junmyeon for good._ Joohyun felt her heart ached with this thought. She was not ready for that.

They had not confessed their affection towards each other officially, but they both knew the feeling was mutual. It had been 100 years, they took it for granted and always thought they would have more time. None of them ever thought the time to part would suddenly approach so fast. 

Junmyeon held Joohyun’s hand and smiled at her gently. He wanted to say something but eventually decided to hold it back, he needed to make sure his plan would work first. They walked back to their rooms in silence, knowing a long sleepless night was waiting for them.

✧  
_Emergency meeting at conference room in 15 minutes._ They got a text from Jieun the next day. All of them, except Junmyeon who was not in the hotel, gathered at the conference room. None of them, not even Baekhyun, had a clue what was this about.

They waited in the room for a while and eventually heard the click-clack sound of Jieun’s high heels. Jieun, dressed in a ruffled floral dress, entered the conference room with a victorious grin, a guy following behind her, hands tied with rope.

“We have a _special guest_ today.” She smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I hope you are doing well! Ch.10 is here, and we have Bogum in the house now! I personally like the way Baekhyun showing his caring side subtly that’s cute. Can anyone already guess what happened to Sebaek in the past, or who is the special guest in the end? We are getting closer and closer to the full story I’m excited (well, I don’t even know why?). 
> 
> I still haven’t finished writing the ending because I got stuck many times writing the last 3 chapters... but at least now I have the overall direction, I hope I can finish it by end of this week so I have enough time to edit and proofread. As always, I hope you enjoy reading it and, get prepared for the upcoming emotional roller coaster :P


	11. Your Moonlight 06.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Fighting, blood, gunshot.

✧  
_또 오랜 시간이 흘러  
Another long time passes  
내 손 잡은 사람  
The person holding my hand  
너이길 바래 그저 우리 함께 있다면  
I hope it’s you, as long as we are together _

__

__

_깊어진 마음이 너를 향해 있어  
My deepened heart is directed at you  
아프던 지난 날들은 이젠 모두 지워줄게  
I’m going to erase all the painful past days  
몇 번을 보아도 언제나 넌 꿈이야  
No matter how many times I see you, you are always a dream  
이미 넌 충분해  
You are good enough already_

✧  
Baekhyun was the only one in the room who knew the captured man, he was Jongin’s close friend, Kyungsoo.

“Take a seat.” Jieun asked Kyungsoo to sit down next to her, still grinning. Kyungsoo looked calm, his face barely showed any emotion.

“So, he is Doh Kyungsoo, one of the targets that Grim Reaper and we have been tracing for quite a while.” Jieun explained to Sehun, Jongdae and Joohyun. _So he is an ally of that blonde bastard,_ Sehun glared at Kyungsoo, immediately connected him with Jongin.

“Jieun, how did you capture him?” Baekhyun frowned his eyebrows, he knew Jieun had been tracking the two evil spirits for a while, but he didn’t expect she would capture one of them so easily on her own. _Things look suspicious,_ he thought.

“Well, I have this.” She took a long hunter gun out and continued to explain herself proudly, “Sehun helped me getting this from the black market and I had Mago’s special bullets. I followed _Doooo_ for a few days and found him driving to a mountain on his own yesterday. _Wow,_ that was a golden chance for me, of course I seized the opportunity and captured him!” 

“I... was forced to sign the deal. I’m innocent.” Sehun raised both his hands once he noticed Baekhyun’s burning glare.

“Stop calling me _Doooo_ , you noisy woman.” A husky low voice was heard, Kyungsoo stared at Jieun and said, annoyance on his face.

“But I like this name, it’s cute.” Jieun chuckled, “now that you are all aware he is our special guest, please make sure he will be receiving VIP treatment during his stay.”

“Jongdae, bring him to the _Disney suite_.” Jieun commanded.

“What???” Jongdae’s mouth opened wide and yelled, “but Jieun, _Disney suite_ is supposed to be for family and kids... are you sure?” Jongdae felt cold sweat starting to fall from his forehead, he definitely wouldn’t want to enrage an evil spirit.

“Yes, why not? Look at our dear _Doooo_ , he looks so tense, let him relax with some cute characters, maybe his mood will become better tomorrow.” Jieun giggled.

She turned towards Kyungsoo and said, “we’ll talk soon. Rest well with _the princesses_.”

✧  
_The two of them were so smart and careful, it took us years to track them and they escaped from us several times, being captured this way doesn’t make any sense._ Baekhyun had been thinking about this over and over the past hour, he thought something was fishy, so he decided to pay Kyungsoo a visit.

He took his pistol and knocked on the door of Kyungsoo’s suite. The door was opened, Kyungsoo didn’t seem surprised at all, he already expected Baekhyun would come.

“Come in.” Baekhyun followed Kyungsoo inside. 

_Kyungsoo’s face looked more deadpan than before._ Baekhyun couldn’t help himself but snickered, he found a serious-looking man staying in a pink suite with Disney princesses wallpaper amusing. This suite was a fancy one, the beddings, sofas, even the curtains were all in pink. Baekhyun took a deep breath and tried pulling himself together.

“I have something to ask you, and I hope you will be honest with me.” Baekhyun didn’t waste any time. “Why are you here?”

“I don’t know what are you talking about, I’m captured.” Kyungsoo responded flatly.

Baekhyun let out a cold laugh, “let’s not waste our time. We have been tracking you guys for years, I know you better than you can imagine, you have a detective mind and are meticulous about everything. I don’t think you will be captured that easily.”

Kyungsoo stared at Baekhyun with his large round eyes, he smirked before explaining himself. “Not bad huh. You’re right, she dressed like a peacock when she was following me, it was actually quite hard for me to pretend not to notice her.”

“So you admit that you voluntarily fell into Jieun’s trap, or rather, it’s Jieun who fell into your trap? Why?”

“I’m here to discuss a deal with you.” Baekhyun looked at Kyungsoo suspiciously, Kyungsoo cleared his throat and continued. “I can help you get hold of Jongin.”

It wasn’t something Baekhyun expected to hear, he furrowed his brows, wondering what trick Kyungsoo was playing. “How, and why are you doing so?”

“Use me as a lure to invite him here. He will come.” Kyungsoo responded, “as for the reason, I need a favour from you.”

“What?”

“I want to put an end to everything, and you are the only one who can help me.” Kyungsoo sighed.

 _Wait, he wants me to end them, to make them vanish from this world. Why?_ Baekhyun was so confused, he decided to keep asking questions until he made up his mind on whether he should trust Kyungsoo.

“Your request sounds really absurd, you know. Why would you want to do so, and more importantly,” Baekhyun leaned forward and stared at Kyungsoo, “why should I trust you?”

“He is getting _obsessed_ with his collection of souls,” Kyungsoo sighed again, “I bet you’ve already seen them with your own eyes last time. He keeps brainwashing those souls, turns them into spirits like us and whenever he has a chance, he burns them. Because we do not have a second chance, he loathes all those souls who have one. I tried to stop him, but he didn’t listen to me. He spends hours looking at his collection, saying horrible things I wish I’ve never heard them. A few days ago, he did the same, then he suddenly turned around, looked at me and smirked, ‘Soo, when do you think this room is gonna be filled completely with my collection? Maybe I should start looking for a larger exhibition hall.’ I felt like I don’t know the one standing in front of me anymore. We have been living together for five whole decades and this was the first time I had this feeling, that was when I decided to come to you.”

Baekhyun was listening attentively, still couldn’t make up his mind if he should believe in what Kyungsoo said. “But this means both of you will have the same fate. Not just him, you will also vanish. Why would you make such a decision?”

“ _I like him._ ” Kyungsoo said without hesitation. “It is painful watching him getting out of his mind like this, even more painful than the thought of vanishing from the world.”

A couple of seconds later, he added, “he is suffering, and others are suffering because of him. Enough souls have been ruined, I think it’s time to stop this now.”

Baekhyun nodded, “I can’t make a decision on my own, let me discuss first and I’ll talk to you again tomorrow.”

✧  
Baekhyun arrived at the venue of his next appointment, the kitchen, and apologised while putting on his apron. “Sorry, I’m late.” 

“That’s fine, I arrived little bit early so I started preparing the ingredients.” Sehun’s mother already placed most of the ingredients for the chocolate chestnut cake on the table.

“Thanks, for agreeing to my sudden request.” Baekhyun said while he started mixing the eggs.

He had never baked a cake before. After Sehun’s mother agreed to his request, he spent half an hour to persuade Junmyeon to let him use the kitchen, swearing that he wasn’t going to burn anything. 

“I haven’t baked for a long time. Hunnie used to love the cakes I baked, and this was his favourite.” Sehun’s mother finished preparing the chestnut purée, “thank you for being so thoughtful, you reminded me that at least there is something I can do for him.”

It was actually a spontaneous idea popping up when Baekhyun was about to sleep. He wasn’t sure if Sehun would like this idea, but he decided to give it a try. 

They waited for the chestnut to be baked in silence, both feeling awkward.

“Hunnie... likes you a lot.” Finally, Sehun’s mother decided to break the silence. “I can see it from his eyes.”

Baekhyun turned and looked at her, shocked by what she had noticed. He eventually smiled and said, “I know.”

“Would you please help me to take care of him?” She asked.

Baekhyun bit his lips, _I want to, but I don’t think I am able to._ “You don’t have to worry, he will be fine.” 

When the chestnut purée was ready, Baekhyun mixed it together with the butter and sugar. Then, Sehun’s mother took over and finished the rest of the steps. It took another hour for the cake to be baked. They were both delighted to see the perfect looking cake when they took it out from the oven.

“Can you promise me something?” Sehun’s mother asked.

“What’s that?”

“Give this to Hunnie after I leave and... no need to mention I helped you.” She smiled.

Baekhyun wanted to ask why, but when he saw Sehun’s mother’s smile, he just nodded. “Alright.”

✧  
Parting was never easy, even if it was someone who had hurt you. Sehun stood at the side exit, witnessing everything, yet he wasn’t able to say a word. Mago led Sehun’s mother to the coffee table and passed the potion to her. She took it and gulped down the liquid. 

Grim Reaper appeared and asked Sehun’s mother to follow him. She turned around, looked at Sehun one last time, smiled and whispered, “goodbye.”

Sehun didn’t say anything, he just stood still until his mother vanished from his sight. He didn’t have enough courage to say goodbye, nor to call his mother _omma_ one more time.

Baekhyun approached him, took his hand and intertwined their fingers. “Follow me, I have got something for you.”

They went to the kitchen and Baekhyun took the cake out. Sehun looked at the familiar chocolate chestnut cake, he could no longer hold back his emotion. He hugged Baekhyun and at the same time let a few drops of tears fall.

“Don’t judge me, I haven’t baked a cake before.” Baekhyun pouted, he cut the cake and fed Sehun a small piece.

It had been almost 20 years, but Sehun remembered this taste clearly. He knew Baekhyun probably asked his mother to bake the cake with him, he was doing everything he could to help him get over this bottleneck.

“This tastes so good.” Sehun smiled, he took the fork and fed Baekhyun too. “But babe, there are still a couple of months before my birthday, why are you baking me a birthday cake now?”

Baekhyun’s motion froze momentarily. He didn’t want to tell Sehun the truth now, that judging by the state of his _soul tree_ , he would probably be gone by then. 

He swallowed the painful feeling and forced a smile, “I’m busy, you know. I don’t always have time to do this sort of thing, so you better treasure it.”

“I will, definitely.” 

✧  
_Emergency meeting at conference room in 15 minutes._ Jieun and Sehun received a message from Baekhyun in the evening. They knew it was probably related to Kyungsoo. When they all gathered in the conference room, Baekhyun played the recording of their conversation in Kyungsoo’s suite.

“That bastard called me a peacock!!! How dare he?!” Jieun crossed her arms and yelled.

“Jieun, that’s not the main point...” Baekhyun sighed. “What do you think about this?”

“It sounds suspicious.” Sehun said, he replayed part of the conversation. “How can we be sure that this is not another trap they set?”

“You’re right.” Baekhyun admitted. “But I know he wasn’t lying, I saw the pain and struggle in his eyes. He is suffering, and is asking for help, _desperately_.”

“Baek, you have a good eyes for this. If you said so, maybe it worths a try.” Jieun agreed, she trusted Baekhyun’s judgement unconditionally over the years, and this time wouldn’t be an exception.

“But...” Sehun paused, eventually decided to take Baekhyun’s side. “Alright, I trust your judgement.”

“I admit, we must be extra careful and need to think through all the details. Jongin is unpredictable, he is much more dangerous than Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun turned on his laptop and started taking notes, “first, we will need an invitation.”

An outsider, who was not a guest, could not locate nor enter Hotel Del Luna without an invitation. 

“I will take care of it.” Jieun said, “let’s fix the details first. Should we make it this Saturday evening?”

“That will give us 2 days to prepare, I guess that’s fine.” Sehun agreed. “I don’t think we should invite him to the lobby, what about the Great Hall?”

“That makes sense. Sehun, bring this up when you meet with Junmyeon, Jongdae and Joohyun tomorrow. Make sure no one is leaving their room after seven that night, arrange room service for all guests. Jieun, double check if we have sufficient bullets, if not, go to the Cemetery tomorrow and request some additional supplies.” Baekhyun kept typing notes while thinking what else they needed to consider.

“I will stay in the Great Hall with Kyungsoo that evening. Jieun, bring your hunter gun and stay outside the entrance, just in case they try to escape.” Jieun nodded.

“And you, station at the lobby to make sure all our guests are safe.”

“No! I will stay with you!” Sehun immediately objected. 

“No, I don’t need you there. I told you, this is none of your business.” Baekhyun insisted.

“Baek, but...” Sehun knew Baekhyun was trying to keep him away from danger, but this wouldn’t stop him from worrying. 

“I’m your boss, and I’ve decided already.” Baekhyun didn’t give Sehun any chance to object further. “I will discuss with Kyungsoo to come up with a plan.”

Jieun turned to Sehun and shook her head, asking him not to argue with Baekhyun. Once Baekhyun made a decision, nobody could make him change his mind, not even his lover.

“Okay, I will work on the invitation now. Let’s walk Grim Reaper and Mago through our plan before sending it out.” Jieun suggested, Baekhyun nodded in agreement.

“Let’s end the mess this time.” Baekhyun said, determined.

✧  
_Dear Mr Kim,_

_You are cordially invited to attend a special banquet to be held at Hotel Del Luna._

_Date: 24 November 2020 (Sat)  
Time: 7 o’clock in the evening  
Location: the Great Hall, Hotel Del Luna_

_Sincerely,  
Byun Baekhyun & Lee Jieun  
Co-directors, Hotel Del Luna_

_Encl.  
1\. Map of Hotel Del Luna  
2\. A little surprise for you_

✧  
The day was getting shorter closer to winter time. The area where Hotel Del Luna was situated was surrounded by an unusual layer of fog. Vision was blurred, truth was hidden, thought was confused. Baekhyun wiped the vapour condensing on the window glass, staring out at the mysterious forest. He heard a few crows cawing, he heard the harsh winter wind blowing, he also heard the burnt ashes wailing.

Too much distraction, too many noises. Baekhyun took a deep breath, he needed to concentrate. He slid his hand inside his pocket, making sure his pistol was with him. Each of them had three bullets, they needed to be quick and act fast. The longer it dragged, the more danger they would face.

Sat a few steps away from him in the Great Hall was Kyungsoo, hands tied loosely at the back, with a couple of bruises here and there. _We have to make it look as real as possible, just do it._ Kyungsoo asked Baekhyun to punch him on his face, Baekhyun did it, just hard enough to leave bruises.

The hour head of the antique wall clock pointed at seven, the door of the hall was forced open. Their guest was here, perfectly on time. He gradually approached Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, a smirk on his face. Jongin was wearing a full red suit, he kept staring at Baekhyun when he was stepping closer and closer. Baekhyun could see his bloodshot eyes filled with fierce rage, he was clearly offended.

“You’re quite punctual.” Baekhyun stared back coldly.

“How can I not be punctual, when you have prepared such a _decent surprise_ for me, huh?” Jongin took the picture of Kyungsoo being tied up from the envelope and torn the invitation card into pieces.

“Soo, I’ll get you out of here soon.” Jongin turned to Kyungsoo and whispered.

“Let’s not waste time. What do you want?” Jongin stopped right in front of Baekhyun, glaring.

”I want you to stop the shit you have been doing and leave the souls alone.” Baekhyun looked up and blinked his eyes, tension between them intensifying.

Jongin laughed, he wrapped an arm on Baekhyun’s waist and caressed his face with the other hand, “you are pretty and smart, but you can’t stop me.”

“Then I guess there’s no point in negotiating anymore, given we will never reach a consent.” 

Baekhyun swiftly grabbed the pistol from his pocket and fired, but Jongin managed to escape, he ran towards Kyungsoo and lifted him up.

“Shoot me! Kill me!” Jongin laughed hysterically, “you nasty soul is nothing better than those humans, you are all disgusting.”

Baekhyun was shifting his pistol left and right, he was not able to aim at Jongin when he was using Kyungsoo as a shield. He knew he should have just fired at Kyungsoo and Jongin together, but he was hesitating. 

“ _Shoot!!!_ ” It was Kyungsoo who groaned, Baekhyun saw tears were about to fall from Kyungsoo’s round eyes.

It was just one or two seconds late, but the golden chance was missed. Jongin threw a smoke bomb at Baekhyun, he quickly grabbed Kyungsoo’s waist and dragged him towards the entrance.

“You dare to mess with me, I’ll make you suffer, and you will regret, for sure.” Jongin’s cold voice was echoing in the Great Hall, while the two were already nowhere to be seen.

Jieun was hiding at a corner outside the hall when she heard the gunshot. She had her full attention on the entrance and soon she saw the two running outside. They were moving fast so she had to quicken her pace to catch up. Jongin heard some footsteps nearby and slowed down. They kept moving at a slow pace and Jongin started paying extra attention to the left side of the pathway, he soon located Jieun and smirked. 

He lit another smoke bomb and threw it right at Jieun, Jieun screamed and she immediately fired twice out of reflex before she passed out. The first bullet missed but she managed to hit Jongin’s left arm with the second bullet. Jongin groaned in pain while continued rushing towards the botanic garden.

Baekhyun soon reached the pathway and found Jieun on the ground, injured. He woke her and asked, “hey, are you alright? Where are they?”

Jieun opened her eyes, “I’m fine, that fucking bomb hurt my shoulder. I think they ran that way.”

“I will look for them, go and fetch Grim Reaper and Mago. Quick, and be careful.”

“Be careful too!” Jieun didn’t even manage to finish the sentence before Baekhyun vanished from her sight.

Baekhyun was sprinting towards the botanic garden. _Jongin is targeting Hotel Del Luna._ Baekhyun wondered if Jongin wanted to catch the souls staying in the hotel. _Maybe, or maybe not just that._ He had met Jongin a couple of times before, but he had never seen him like this, outrageous, mad, almost like a beast.

_I’ll make you suffer, and you’ll regret, for sure._

Then, Sehun’s face appeared in Baekhyun’s mind, followed by what Jongin said last time they met. _Even Baekhyun has weakness. Interesting._

It was also the moment when Baekhyun finally realised, that Jongin was not coming after the souls. 

_He was coming after Sehun._

✧  
“Soo, where is Baekhyun’s little human lover?” Jongin stared at Kyungsoo with his bloodshot eyes.

“Why?” Kyungsoo frowned his brows, Jongin was dragging him forcefully, hurting his elbows. “Calm down, you’re hurting me.”

“He, is the one hurting you, and I, am gonna take revenge and make him suffer.” He laughed evilly, in a way that Kyungsoo hadn’t seen before.

“Jongin...” Kyungsoo sighed, “when will you... stop?”

“Stop? Why I have to stop?” Jongin snorted, “no one is gonna stop me, not even that pretty soul.”

“Ahha, so here is the hotel.” He found the side entrance to the hotel, now all he needed was the passcode. In fact, he didn’t bother to guess the passcode, he decided to break the door.

“Stop!” Baekhyun yelled at Jongin from afar. “Don’t.”

Jongin let out a cold laugh, “why should I listen to you, huh?”

Baekhyun stepped closer to Jongin and Kyungsoo, “what do you want?”

“I want you to _suffer_.” 

Baekhyun stopped a few inches in front of Jongin, “then make me suffer... without touching _him_.”

Jongin raised his eyebrows, then he smirked after he understood what Baekhyun meant. “So you are finally giving in?”

“I’ll let you do whatever you want... as long as you promise not to hurt anyone inside the hotel.” Baekhyun knew this might not work but he had to try buying some time.

“Convince me, that you are not making empty promise.” Jongin took his pistol out from his pocket, wiping it with his sleeve.

Baekhyun took a deep breath before putting his pistol on the ground, pushing it towards Jongin and Kyungsoo. He raised both hands and glanced at Kyungsoo quickly.

“Good. You really love him that much, huh?” Jongin raised his pistol and aimed at Baekhyun, he pulled the slide and loaded.

Baekhyun bit his lips, he didn’t expect his journey would end this way. He still had tonnes of things to tell Sehun, but it seemed that fate didn’t give him the chance to do so.

Before Jongin pulled the trigger, a stone was thrown out from the window of the hotel. It hit Jongin’s hand and the pistol dropped onto the ground. Jongin immediately kneeled down and grabbed the pistol.

A tall figure jumped out from the window and dashed towards Baekhyun, Sehun hugged Baekhyun tightly and they fell onto the ground together. Two loud bangs were subsequently heard, the deafening boom cracking the sky open, and at the same time, shattering Baekhyun’s heart.

✧  
Baekhyun wanted to scream, but he couldn’t. Tears started to fall unstoppably from his eyes, blurring his vision. All he could feel was the weight lying on top of him, the weight of a motionless body. He freed his hands and wiped the tears away, he could finally see Sehun’s face clearly. 

“ _Sehun._ ” Baekhyun whispered, voice shaky. “Wake up.” He sounded so desperate, and hopeless. 

“ _Please._ ”

Sehun opened his eyes slowly, he struggled to caress Baekhyun’s cheek, wiping his tears away with his hand that was soaked with blood. He smiled at Baekhyun, “don’t cry.”

Baekhyun took Sehun’s hand and saw the blood, his own hand trembling. “Hold on for a few moments, they are coming.”

“I’m in pain... babe, can I kiss you?” Still smiling, Sehun lowered his head and pressed their lips together. The kiss tasted of tears and blood. 

When their lips parted, Sehun whispered close to Baekhyun’s ear, “I’ll wait for you... regardless how many lives it’s gonna take... _I love you._ ”

 _No._ Only deadly silence was left after Sehun’s last confession. It seemed like the clock had stopped ticking and the world had stopped rotating. _No._ Baekhyun turned his head and stared at Sehun’s side profile. His eyes were shut, but he was still having the same gentle smile on his face. _No._ Baekhyun tardily slid his hand in between their bodies and felt their chests. Neither of their hearts was beating. 

“ _No!!!_ ” The moment his world collapsed, Baekhyun was finally able to scream.

✧  
Jieun knew they were too late when she saw Baekhyun sitting on the ground, hugging a motionless Sehun, eyes in the darkest shade of blue, completely swollen.

On the other side, Kyungsoo was also sitting on the ground, having Jongin in his trembling arms. Kyungsoo appeared to be in stabler state than Baekhyun, so they decided to ask him what happened. He took a couple of deep breaths before he started explaining the whole situation after they arrived the botanic garden.

“Sehun jumped out from the hotel and shielded Baekhyun. I took Baekhyun’s pistol and I shot Jongin but...” Kyungsoo’s eyes were teary, “it was still too late, he fired and Sehun was...”

“I’m sorry.” Kyungsoo closed his eyes to stop tears from falling. He was apologising to Sehun, to Baekhyun, to Jieun... and to Jongin. He just killed the one he loved the most. 

Kyungsoo recalled that heart-breaking scene in his mind. It took _one second_ to fire the pistol. It took _two seconds_ for Jongin to fall. It took _three seconds_ for Kyungsoo to run to Jongin’s side. It took _four seconds_ for tears to fall from his cheeks. It took _five seconds_ for him to say ‘I’m sorry, I love you’.

Jongin didn’t struggle nor say anything, he just took Kyungsoo’s hand and smiled. It was not the evil smirk, but the genuine smile that had been gone for so long, the smile that always appeared on Jongin’s face when they first knew each other.

 _Thank you._ He whispered, almost inaudible. Then he closed his eyes, still smiling.

Kyungsoo knew it would take him _forever_ to erase this smile from his mind.

“You... are brave.” Jieun wiped the tears falling from her eyes silently. “Let’s go inside first.”

Jieun helped Kyungsoo carrying Jongin back to the hotel, she took a final look at Baekhyun. Sehun probably didn’t know he would end up vanishing after being attacked by an evil spirit, he would never get to his afterlife, he would never have a second chance. Jieun felt her heart ache and it was difficult to breathe, yet, she couldn’t collapse, she had the two spirits to deal with. She panted heavily, regretting if it was indeed a mistake to lure Jongin into Hotel Del Luna.

✧  
Baekhyun looked as pale as a spiritless corpse, he heard someone approaching him, but it didn’t matter, it wasn’t Sehun anyway. He felt like all his energy was consumed after he screamed his heart out. _I don’t even have the chance to tell you I love you..._

“Look at you, my dear.” Mago kneeled down and stared at Baekhyun’s face, traces of tears on his cheeks. It was the first time she saw Baekhyun looking this vulnerable.

“Save him...” Tears started dropping the moment Baekhyun opened his mouth. “I can’t let him vanish like this... I’ll do anything... I can stay in the hotel for another thousands of years... _please..._ ”

“As much as we want to help you, you know we have rules to follow.” Grim Reaper said.

Baekhyun tightened his grip, he had never begged anyone for help before, but he was willing to do anything for Sehun. “What about... I exchange my soul with his? That I vanish on his behalf?”

Grim Reaper and Mago exchanged a quick glance. 

“Unfortunately, that won’t work.” Grim Reaper said, “but...”

“But what?” Baekhyun immediately asked, desperate to find a solution to save Sehun.

“We promised to grant each of you a wish upon completion of our mission, do you remember that?” Baekhyun nodded, it was a rare bargain that they were willing to grant an unconditional wish to them.

“Now that they have been captured, I can exceptionally allow you to use your wish immediately, without having to wait for the vesting period to pass.” Grim Reaper suggested, this was the best he could do, without violating any rules.

“Yes!!!” Baekhyun said without even thinking. “Whatever it takes, save him. Please.”

Mago smiled at Baekhyun. “Dear, I’m so proud of you. You made it through.”

Baekhyun stared at Mago, puzzled, “made through what?”

Mago was still smiling, “ _it’s all fate._ ”

✧  
They carried Sehun back to Hotel Del Luna and placed him on his bed. Mago started treating him, she forced one pill down his throat and injected different liquids into his body. Baekhyun was pacing back and forth at the corner, eyes never leaving Sehun for one single second.

Half an hour later, Mago approached Baekhyun and nodded, “it’s done.”

“When will he wake up?” Asked Baekhyun, excited, yet still worried.

“Hmm... that depends. Shower him with more love, maybe he will wake tomorrow. Leave him alone on the bed, maybe he will wake one month later. You know what to do, right?” Mago smirked.

Baekhyun nodded, “thank you.”

“Take good care of him, we needa go and get the naughty ones.” They left Sehun’s bedroom and headed towards the suite where Jieun and the two evil spirits were staying. They needed to bring Jongin and Kyungsoo back to the Cemetery of Forgone Memories and finish the remaining procedures.

“You are fooling him, aren’t you? You used three doses of _initium novum_ , Sehun will wake three days later.” Grim Reaper questioned after they left the room.

“I’m just giving him a chance to let his emotions out.” Mago smiled, “but I gotta admit, they are both doing better than I expected.”

“Right, and I know he won’t stay here for long. Well, we still have to think about how to deal with that two kids.” Grim Reaper said.

“I have an idea...” Mago smirked.

✧  
Sehun was sleeping peacefully on his bed, Baekhyun carefully wrapped his arms around Sehun’s waist. It was the same body, but it didn’t feel the same. Sehun was always the warm one, he was always the one embracing Baekhyun, he was always the one making Baekhyun feel safe. Now, his still body was as cold as Baekhyun’s, no matter how tight Baekhyun was holding him, he would never be able to warm him up. Baekhyun knew Sehun was alive, but he couldn’t stop himself from feeling sad. Each second passed like an hour, he desperately wanted to see Sehun opening his eyes. 

Yet, all he could do was wait.

 _Shower him with love, maybe he will wake tomorrow._ Baekhyun took Sehun’s large hand and intertwined their fingers, he scooted closer and whispered towards Sehun’s ear.

_Sehun, I know you can hear me, right? I have so much to tell you. I want to spend my remaining time with you, no matter how little time we have. I want you to hug me to sleep every night, I want to wake up with you smiling next to me every morning. I want to go on another date with you to all those places I haven’t been to before, I want to take pictures with you at the photo booth again, I promise I won’t frown my brows this time. I want us to be a normal couple and live a normal live. I want to kiss you and tell you how much I love you. Open your eyes soon, please._

Baekhyun pressed a kiss on Sehun’s lips and closed his eyes. He was completely drained after all the things that happened today. He fell asleep within seconds with Sehun inside his arms.

✧  
Baekhyun found himself inside a luxurious room, it looked strangely familiar, he was inside a royal palace. He let out a heavy sigh when he looked at the decorations on the wall. A palace from _the North_. A palace in the _Oh Kingdom_.

He continued looking around, his gaze stopped when he spotted a painting framed on the wall. It was _that painting_ , the one he drew for Sehun, the painting of the lake, with a full moon and a cherry blossom tree.

 _So this is... Sehun’s bedchamber?_ Baekhyun heard someone talking, he walked towards the bed. He first saw an old man, dressed in plain white Hanbok. Then, he noticed the other familiar face, the one who was talking to this old man was Grim Reaper.

Baekhyun connected the dots immediately. _That old man was Sehun._

“ _Your Majesty._ ” Grim Reaper bowed.

Sehun didn’t say anything, he just looked at the painting and sighed. “I’m not a King anymore.”

“I’m here to pick _your Majesty_ up and, to see if there’s any assistance I could offer.”

“Forget about the formality, I’ve had enough.” Sehun let out a cold laugh. “Finally...”

“Anything that your... you would like me to do before you move on to your next life?” Grim Reaper asked.

Sehun was still staring at the painting, he recalled his lover’s smile, his gentle voice and tender touch. It had been thirty years since he ruined his lover’s life, yet, all those scenes were fresh as if they only happened yesterday.

“I want Baekhyun back in my life.” Sehun mumbled, tears started to fall from his eyes. Faraway at the corner, Baekhyun’s eyes widened once he heard Sehun mentioning his name. 

“It has been thirty years, but I can’t get him out of my mind, not even a single day.” Sehun took a deep breath before he continued, “prosperity without him means nothing to me. A Kingdom without him doesn’t worth a penny. Life without him is a pure torture.”

“You know it’s not gonna happen. He may have moved on already, or may have chosen other paths... It’s all fate, and fate, is not something we can interfere.”

“I owe him too much and I just... I just want to make atonement for what I did to the only one I have ever loved.” He sighed. 

“What if he is not willing to forgive you?” Grim Reaper asked.

“Then I will keep repenting, _life after life,_ until he is willing to forgive me.” Sehun stared at Grim Reaper.

“Do you know what are you getting yourself into? Are you sure you can endure lovelessness and loneliness in your afterlives? If that day doesn’t come, you will live like that forever.” 

“I’m willing to do anything, in exchange for a chance to see cherry blossom with him once again.” Sehun sounded determined, Grim Reaper stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, but he eventually nodded.

“Alright, I will make the appropriate arrangement. Records of this conversation, together with the memories of your current life, will be stored in the Cemetery of Forgone Memories for the time being. If he forgives you one day, you will find your memories back under the cherry blossom tree. Shall we go now?”

Sehun smiled and said, “thank you, and yes.”

✧  
Baekhyun’s face was soaked with tears when he opened his eyes. He still had his arms tightly wrapped around Sehun. It was too much for him to digest, he got up from the bed and plodded towards the windowsill. 

_I’m willing to do anything, in exchange for a chance to see cherry blossom with him once again._

He replayed all the visions he had seen in his mind. All those scenes were in fact Sehun repenting, apologising, seeking his forgiveness. He had been suffering for a thousand years inside the hotel, while Sehun had been suffering for a thousand years in the real world. They were both suffering, in different ways, but under the same moon. He looked outside the window and saw the cherry blossoms blooming, pink petals falling from his _soul tree_.

_After blossom, it finally comes the time of wither._

“ _Sehun..._ ” Baekhyun collapsed onto the floor, started crying until he fell asleep on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Sebaekists! I really really like writing this story, so I hope you enjoy reading it too. The last piece of their memory will be revealed in next chapter (a longgggg one), and it will be the last part of the main story, after that there will be an epilogue. Have a great week, take care and happy reading! 
> 
> P.S. next 2 updates will probably happen during weekends instead :)


	12. Cherry Blossom Love Song 06.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Fighting, blood, stabbing, implied sexual content

✧  
_아스라이 흐려진 달빛에  
When the moonlight started to fade  
슬피 흩날리던 그대  
You were sadly scattering as well_

 _모든 것과 바꿔서 널 다시 만나면  
If everything changes and I can see you again  
품 한가득 널 안으며 이 말 전하리라  
I’d hold you and tell you this  
백일간의 그 꿈은 그 어떤 날보다  
That the 100 days of this dream  
아름다웠다고  
Were more beautiful than any other day  
사랑했었다고  
That I loved you_

✧  
Baekhyun didn’t dare to leave Sehun’s room the next few days, he paid no attention to anything other than Sehun. Food was delivered directly into their room, Baekhyun didn’t leave Sehun’s side apart from having bio-breaks and taking bath. His vision was narrowed down to a tunnel, all he could see was Sehun. The rational side of Baekhyun kept reminding himself that everything would eventually be fine, yet he couldn’t stop himself from overthinking. He had lived through all the heart-breaking years to arrive at this point, he could not afford any mistakes that could potentially lead to losing the treasure he just rediscovered. 

Lying down next to Sehun, Baekhyun stroked his lover’s hair tenderly before wrapping both arms around him. _Sehun is still cold, but not as cold as the first night, that’s a good sign._ Baekhyun thought. It was approaching evening time and Baekhyun wasn’t sleepy at all. He just closed his eyes, scooted closer to Sehun’s chest and listened to his heartbeat. Then he felt it, a hand caressing his cheek, that familiar touch. Baekhyun opened his eyes and found Sehun staring at him, smiling. It was Sehun’s hand, _his Sehun_.

Baekhyun grabbed Sehun’s hand immediately to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, he put Sehun’s hand close to his lips and kissed it. Before he was able to say anything, tears started to fall from his eyes. Sehun wiped the tears away from Baekhyun’s cheek, “you were crying before I fell asleep, and you are still crying after I wake up. Since when have you become a cry babe, huh?”

Baekhyun tightened his hug, buried his face in Sehun’s neck and mumbled with a pout. “Bastard! I hate you.”

“Baek, sorry for making your worried.” Sehun pressed a kiss on Baekhyun’s forehead, then he leaned forward and kissed Baekhyun on his lips. Baekhyun couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer, he pressed his lips against Sehun’s hurriedly, changing the angle constantly to deepen the kiss. The passionate kiss lasted for a while before their lips finally parted.

“I love you.” Sehun confessed before kissing his lover again.

When their lips parted the second time, Sehun heard Baekhyun whispered, “I love you too.”

Then their lips connected again, they both wished they could stay like this forever, fondling and kissing each other. They made out on the bed for a long while until they heard Sehun’s stomach complaining. 

Both chuckled and Baekhyun got up from the bed first, “time for dinner, I guess.”

✧  
They decided to go out for a walk in the garden after finishing their meal. Sehun’s body was slowly recovering, Baekhyun could feel the warmth from their intertwined fingers again, a contented smile gradually appearing on his face. Yet, his footsteps became slow and draggy when they walked pass the place where Sehun was attacked. Sehun felt Baekhyun’s heavy pants and slightly shaky hand, he pulled the smaller close for a quick hug and comforted him, “I’m here, babe.”

“At that moment, I thought I was really going to lose you...” Baekhyun leaned his head on Sehun’s shoulder and sighed.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere else.”

They soon reached the cherry blossom tree that stood out in the botanic garden, it was the only tree blossoming under the harsh winter weather. They sat down on a bench, Baekhyun was gathering his thoughts, he finally made up his mind after all the struggle, that he was going to open up. He was going to tell Sehun the last part of their story himself.

“Sehun.” Baekhyun put his hand on top of Sehun’s and called his name, Sehun turned to his lover and stared at him. 

“I’ve been thinking a lot when I was staying in your room the last couple of days... Every moment spent on waiting for you to open your eyes was torturing. A question came to my mind - what is the first thing I wanna tell you once you wake up? Of course, I want to confess to you about my feelings, my true feelings that I’ve been hiding all the time. But... apart from that, I think... I also want to tell you _what happened to us_ back then.” Baekhyun was speaking slowly, trying not to get emotional too soon. _I can do it._ He kept repeating in his mind.

Sehun didn’t say anything, he just held Baekhyun tight in his arms. He always knew they didn’t end well in their past life, their past hurt Baekhyun to the extent that he wasn’t able to talk about it at all. The least thing Sehun wanted to do was to force his lover to remember their execrable past, therefore he didn’t dare to ask and was waiting for it to be revealed in his visions. 

“Babe, if that’s too much for you... you don’t have to.” Indeed, Sehun was curious about what happened between them, but he cared much more about their present, about the one next to him right now.

“I have to... at least, let me try.” Baekhyun took a deep breath before he continued, “you didn’t go to the lake for three consecutive months, I was so worried, I thought something bad happened to you. Yet, I didn’t manage to go to the lake the next full moon neither.”

“You still don’t know my identity in that life, right?” Sehun shook his head, he had only seen the scenes when they met at the lake, he had no idea who Baekhyun was, although he seemed to be from a prestige family. 

“I... was from _the South_ , I was the _10th prince_ of the _Byun Kingdom_.” Baekhyun noticed the confused expression on Sehun’s face, so he decided to elaborate.

“Up till today I still have the urge to throw up whenever I recall all the dreadful things happened. That night, I was staying in the royal palace as usual. I suddenly heard fighting noise and people shouting everywhere, I rushed to the throne hall and...” Baekhyun took another deep breath, that devastating scene was haunting him till now. “I found my father, the King, lying on the ground, his whole body soaked in blood.”

“All his guards were killed and their bodies were scattered over the hall... and then I realised, the person holding a sword, standing in front of my father’s body...” Tears started to fall from Baekhyun’s eyes, “was _you_.”

“What? It can’t be true...” Sehun could never such a plot twist, it felt like a bomb just exploded in his head, burning every cell of his body. _Baekhyun was a prince, and he killed his father, the King of Byun Kingdom?_

“Sehun... you were the _Crown Prince_ of _the North_ , the _Oh Kingdom_. The reason you didn’t show up... was because the two Kingdoms were at war...” Baekhyun couldn’t help himself from weeping, it was too much for him, and he still hadn’t made it to the most heart-breaking part yet.

“Wait... Babe, don’t force yourself too much.” Sehun couldn’t process anything he heard properly, he refused to accept the shocking fact that he killed Baekhyun’s father in that life. His heart ached seeing Baekhyun looking all hurt and fragile. He tried to wipe the tears away from Baekhyun’s face, but they kept falling from his eyes like a waterfall. 

All the rage and hatred began to make sense to Sehun. He was a sinner, he did something unforgivable, he was the sole reason for Baekhyun’s suffering, he deserved to be sent to hell. Sehun didn’t know what to do, he was so helpless. Slowly reaching Baekhyun’s face, Sehun kept pressing gentle kisses to calm him down. Baekhyun was venting all emotions he had been hiding for centuries, it broke Sehun’s heart to see him like this. 

“Please... don’t cry...” Sehun placed both hands on Baekhyun’s cheek before he kissed Baekhyun on his lips.

✧  
The flash light brought Sehun to the throne hall of the royal palace, the scene Baekhyun described minutes ago was shown right in front of his own eyes vividly. He saw himself, fully armed, a sword on his hand, standing in front of a lifeless body. _The King._ Then he saw Baekhyun at a corner, walking doggedly towards the taller, his tiny body trembling. 

“ _Manwol..._ ” Baekhyun’s mind was blank and he couldn’t find any words to say. “What are you doing here...”

The armed prince’s eyes widened when he turned his head and met Baekhyun’s gaze. He took a quick glance at the King’s body and looked at Baekhyun again, he suddenly realised the resemblance between the two. “ _Beotkkot,_ you... belong to the royal family?”

“Prince Baekhyun, run!!!” A loud shout was heard from the other side of the hall, that royal guard fell onto the ground right after the last sentence he managed to say.

“You are... Byun Baekhyun, the mysterious little prince who never showed up in public?” Sehun was in complete shock, out of all possibilities, his lover was the prince of his rival Kingdom.

“And you are... Oh Sehun, the cold-blooded Crown Prince who is in charge of the invasion?” Baekhyun collapsed onto the floor, wondering why fate had to joke with him like this.

_“Promise me, you will tell me your name one day.”  
“One day, I promise.”_

They still remembered the promise, yet, neither of them could ever imagine they would find out the other’s name and identity this way.

“You didn’t show up... because you were busy killing my people.” Baekhyun couldn’t stop tears from falling. 

_He sank into the turbulence of despondency._

“You just killed my father... and your army is burning my home...” Baekhyun saw flames all around when he was on his way to the throne hall. 

_He drowned in his tears, close to suffocating himself._

“Are you gonna kill me too?” He asked, almost in a whisper. 

_The answer didn’t matter, because he knew he was already dead inside._

Sehun saw Baekhyun’s teary eyes, he was so close to throwing his sword away and pulling his lover close for a hug and a kiss. He desperately wanted to do so, however, he couldn’t. Even if he let Baekhyun go, the assassinators outside would easily kill him, or in worse case, they would keep Baekhyun alive and bring him back to the Oh Kingdom. He would end up dying in the most brutal way after endless interrogation and torture.

Sehun’s heart sank the moment he realised there was no way he could keep his lover alive.

He panted heavily, kneeled down in front of Baekhyun, bit his lips to stop tears from falling. Baekhyun didn’t move an inch, hopeless tears continued to fall. 

“I loathe you!!!” Baekhyun cursed, outrageous, despaired, and devastated. 

“I will never forgive...” Before Baekhyun could finish the sentence, Sehun pulled him close for a hug and at the same time, his sword penetrated Baekhyun’s body. 

He just stabbed his own lover, right at his heart, with his own hand.

“ _You..._ ” This was the last word coming from Baekhyun’s mouth before he fell onto the ground.

Sehun stared at the still body, speechless. He caressed Baekhyun’s cheek one last time, then he took Baekhyun’s hand, pressed it against his lips. “Baekhyun... I’m sorry...”

He let go of Baekhyun’s hand as soon as he heard footsteps approaching, he took the necklace Baekhyun was wearing and stood up. 

“Bring him back, make sure you handle him with care. If I find any additional wounds on his body, you won’t live to see the next sunrise.” Sehun ordered one of the assassinator, his voice cold as ice.

Sehun plodded outside the throne hall with heavy steps. When he was alone under the dark sky, he looked up and saw the same bright full moon shining. He thought about Baekhyun, he thought about their promise, he thought about all their meetings at the lake, then, he thought about all the coming full moon nights without his lover.

He wished everything was just a nightmare. He fought days and nights the last few months with only one aim in his mind, he wanted to win the war as soon as possible to minimise casualty. Thereafter, the Byun Kingdom would be colonised, he would work hard to bring prosperity and order back to the deteriorating Kingdom. Then he would find Baekhyun and bring him back to his palace, he even thought of building a palace exclusively for his lover. He imagined living his life happily with Baekhyun, without worry of getting caught, without the need to wait one whole month to see each other again. 

Sehun dreamt about their future, and that unreachable future would remain a dream forever.

Holding Baekhyun’s necklace tightly in his hand, Sehun noticed the few drops of Baekhyun’s blood on the surface of the silver moon pendant. Just like all his wishes and imagination, everything was now covered with shades of blood.

“Baekhyun... I’m sorry...” He repeated the only sentence he managed to say, but this time, he allowed tears to fall. 

Sehun let himself cry his heart out, mourning for the loss of the only person he had ever loved. He didn’t know for how long he had been crying, but he knew he eventually had to go back, the army was waiting for him.

In the span of a few hours, a war that had lasted over three months was won and the territory of Oh Kingdom was expanded. At the same time, Sehun paid the biggest price by sacrificing his lover’s life. He torn the life saving rope that kept him going till this moment with his own hand. He felt like his heart had stopped beating since Baekhyun’s last breath, he had lost both his lover and his own soul.

Sehun let sorrow engulf him silently. When the tears on his face dried, Sehun took a deep breath before turning around, his spiritless eyes red and swollen. He was ruined enough that nothing could damage him further. He surrendered to heartlessness, knowing he would never feel any emotions again for the rest of his life. 

He put Baekhyun’s full moon pendant on his neck, together with the cherry blossom pendent he was wearing. They would remind him of everything they used to have, and of nothing they were left with. 

The love and memories of _Beotkkot_ and _Manwol_ would be engraved in his heart, leaving behind an incurable wound and everlasting pain, till the end of his life, till his very last breath.

✧  
“Sehun...” Baekhyun looked at his lover worriedly, Sehun’s body was shaking.

“So... this is what you meant by your heart was _not broken but stabbed_...” Sehun felt like he was choked and was unable to breathe. “I... killed you.”

 _So he saw it,_ Baekhyun sighed. “Sehun, that’s alright, it’s over now.”

Baekhyun extended his arms and hugged his lover. Both of them were deeply wounded, and they were the only one who could heal each other. Sehun buried his face in Baekhyun’s neck and wept, Baekhyun waited patiently till Sehun calmed down.

“Shhhh, dear, listen to me.” Baekhyun petted Sehun’s hair. “I have had a really hard time all these years, but I’m not the only one who suffers. I have seen enough from the visions, the way you lived all your past lives. I finally learn my lesson now, resentment and hatred do nothing but corrode one’s mind and soul. Please, _please_ don’t feel guilty for things that happened one thousand years ago.”

“But... it was still my fault...” Sehun said, anguished. 

“You didn’t have a choice, it was your Kingdom, after all. I may have done the same if I were you...” Baekhyun stroked Sehun’s back as if he was a child in need of comfort. 

“I love you... and... I should have known that I have forgiven you long ago.” Baekhyun leaned towards Sehun and connected their lips together. 

_What if he is not willing to forgive you?_

_Then I will keep repenting, life after life, until he is willing to forgive me._

Sehun started hearing voices the moment Baekhyun kissed him.

_I’m willing to do anything, in exchange for a chance to see cherry blossom with him once again._

_If he forgives you one day, you will find your memories back under the cherry blossom tree._

“Under the cherry blossom tree...” Sehun murmured. 

Then he started to remember - all the things happened in that life, every encounter with Baekhyun, their sweet memories, their tragic ending, _everything_. The feelings were distant when Sehun saw the visions, but now everything felt _real_. He remembered the deal between him and Grim Reaper, his way to repent and to seek forgiveness. When their lips parted, Sehun turned around and looked at the cherry blossom tree. 

His wish finally came true, after one thousand years.

_He was forgiven._

“Baek...” He turned back to Baekhyun and looked at his lover with his teary eyes. “I remember now, everything about us.”

Baekhyun’s sapphire blue eyes were sparkling under the moonlight. “It has never changed. I love you, Sehun.”

“Me too, I love you too.”

“I... have one more thing to tell you.” That was also why Baekhyun’s eyes remained blue even they confessed their feelings towards each other.

“This cherry blossom tree... is not a usual tree. It is my _soul tree_. It blossoms the first time over these centuries, all because of you. I’ve forgiven you, I’ve let all hatred go. The flowers blossom, and they will soon wilt. As you can see, the petals already start falling. When the last petal falls from the tree... I...” Baekhyun couldn’t finish the sentence, he felt his heart aching so much. 

It hurt when he parted with Sehun while hating him, it hurt much more when he had to part with Sehun while loving him.

“When the last petal falls, your closure is sought, and you will need to move on, is that what you wanna say?” Sehun held Baekhyun’s hand tightly and asked, although he already knew the answer.

Baekhyun bit his lips and nodded, he didn’t want to cry anymore but a few drops of tears still escaped from his eyes.

“I don’t even know how much time is left for us...” Said Baekhyun, discouraged. 

Sehun knew Baekhyun wouldn’t stay around forever, the thought of having to let Baekhyun go made him emotional too. Yet, he remembered what Mago had said multiple times, _it’s all fate_. Baekhyun had been waiting for this moment for centuries, he couldn’t be selfish and hinder his journey. Baekhyun didn’t want him to feel guilty for the things happened in the past, he also didn’t want Baekhyun to feel guilty for moving on.

He pulled Baekhyun close and whispered, “it doesn’t matter as long as we are treasuring every moment of it. Promise, no more crying.”

Baekhyun blinked a few times, forcing himself to calm down. He stared back at Sehun, eyes returning to their natural brown colour.

“ _Promise._ ” 

✧  
The whole team was thrilled to know Sehun was recovering fast and could attend their regular meeting, Baekhyun, unexpectedly, was the calmest among all of them. He had his arms crossed, thinking about the conversation he had with Mago early that morning.

_“The petals are falling.” Baekhyun said._

_“Blessing the earth with the awakened love... how poetic.” Mago replied with a mysterious smile on her face._

_“How much time do I have?” He asked, this was the reason why Baekhyun visited Mago at this early hour._

_Mago was still smiling when she slowly raised three fingers. Baekhyun’s heart sank, he didn’t know if this meant three days, three weeks, or three months._

_“Three full moons. You are my favourite kid, but that’s the best I can do for you.”_

_Baekhyun sighed out of relief, at least it was not the worst answer. He promised Sehun he wouldn’t cry, so he attempted to lift the corner of his mouth and said, “thank you.”_

_“Have faith, dear, it will be fine.”_

“Hey Baekhyun, should we start?” Jieun patted Baekhyun’s shoulder and asked, Baekhyun nodded. “Alright, it’s really good to see everyone back. The past week has been one of the toughest week we have been through, but I’m glad that everyone is now safe and healthy. We have a couple of important news to announce today, but first of all, let’s welcome our dear Sehun’s return. Your brave and heroic act will be added to Hotel Del Luna’s year book, I’m gonna hire a writer to properly record this romantic love story between you and Baekhyun.”

The whole crowd burst into laughter, Sehun’s face blushed while Baekhyun rolled his eyes and complained. “That will end up being a K-drama, please don’t.”

“Anyway, I’m happy for you two, really. You look perfect together.” Jieun congratulated the couple genuinely and both of them couldn’t help but smiled.

“Well, the next news is related to our pretty Joohyun! Her paintings are now displayed at Bogum’s family’s private art museum as a permanent exhibition, there are already a few articles published, and the exhibition receives positive feedback! Congratulations, dear, you are awesome!!!” Jieun blew Joohyun a kiss and said, exhilarated and feeling proud of her bestie.

“To be honest, I can’t believe this is actually happening. I already thanked Bogum a thousand times but I still think that’s not enough. I went to the exhibition myself, seeing people appreciating my work after all these years made me emotional. I can finally have this off my mind now.” Joohyun smiled.

“I feel happy for you, but... does it also mean that you will leave us soon?” Jongdae questioned, he had been in the hotel for around 20 years and Joohyun had been taking care of him like a sister.

The angelic smile gradually faded from Joohyun’s face, she swallowed before admitting. “That’s right. I’m wrapping things up and I will leave... two days later.”

The room was suddenly filled with silence. They sent souls off almost everyday, they were so used to saying goodbye. Yet, whenever it happened within the team, the emotion hit differently. It was difficult, no matter how many times they had experienced it.

Joohyun turned to the one sitting next to her, the one she didn’t dare to look at when she announced her departure. Her gaze finally met with Junmyeon’s, Junmyeon smiled at her, the same smile he always had on his face since the beginning.

“I have something to announce too.” Junmyeon finally broke the silence, he looked at Jieun and she gave him an approving nod. “Bae, I’m going with you.”

Joohyun’s eyes widened, “what? Don’t joke, that’s not funny.”

“I’m serious.” Junmyeon cleared his throat and continued, “first, I must apologise for my sudden decision. As some of you may know, I came to Hotel Del Luna after my whole family was kidnapped and killed a century ago. A certain family hired someone to kill us because our family business was overtaking theirs. I have been waiting for their business to go down. I want them to end up penniless, I want them to suffer, I want their life to be ruined. They barely survived the last financial crisis and majority of their business was closed, but they didn’t go bankrupt, so their life was not miserable enough. I know they cannot survive another financial crisis, so I keep waiting until now.”

“Yet, I have been thinking about this over and over recently, especially after Bogum arrived. Is this kind of revenge what I’m really looking for? In order to confirm my answer, I paid that family a visit, they were living a modest life in a tiny apartment. The two children were doing homework, their mother was cooking in the kitchen, their father just returned home after work. They sat at the table and had dinner together. I asked myself, will I really feel happy if I wait another 10 or 20 years just to see these strangers suffer, or will I feel happier if I let them go so I can leave peacefully when the one I love is also ready?”

“The answer is pretty obvious, you matter much more to me.” Junmyeon took Joohyun’s hand and said. “I had multiple discussions with Mago and Grim Reaper, given this is more like an awakening for me, they agreed to let me wait for you for a month. It was risky, but I’m glad that I took the risk.”

Joohyun’s eyes were all red after she heard what Junmyeon had done, the two had their hands held tight, they looked at each other, grateful that they could move on to their next journey together.

“Honestly, I had mixed feeling when Junmyeon told me his decision. I feel happy for both of you, you have been working hard for our hotel, and you can finally start a new chapter of your life. Having said so, I feel like I’m still not ready to let two excellent team members go. We have been a dream team, I know I’ll definitely miss you a lot.” Jieun said emotionally.

“Taking this opportunity, I would like to announce that in view of recent events, Hotel Del Luna will be on limited operation the coming three months, we will reduce occupancy rate to ensure smooth work transition. There will be some renovation work undergoing as well. On top of that, we will have a new member joining our team, effective immediately.” Jieun announced, she walked towards the door and invited the new team member in.

They were surprised to see the familiar handsome face entering the room with a friendly grin on his face.

“Bogum will takeover Junmyeon’s role.”

“Bogum oppa, you are gonna stay with us?” Sejeong was surprised but was also excited. Bogum was very friendly and Sejeong was sure that they could get along well.

“Right. When Baekhyun and Jieun asked me what I want to do before moving on, I couldn’t think of anything on the spot, the only concern I have is my younger sister. That’s why I decided to stay and wait for her.” A gentle smile appeared on Bogum’s face when he talked about his sister.

“Welcome to the team, Bogum.” Baekhyun smiled, he also thanked Jieun for taking care of all these matters when he had his full attention on Sehun.

They discussed the plan for the next few months. When the meeting finished, they gathered and took a couple of group photos together. It was the last meeting of the dream team, yet their smile would be framed at the lobby of the hotel forever.

Hotel Del Luna was such a special place, each member arrived with some wounds to heal, someone to forgive, some stories to tell. With the passage of time, old members moved on, new members joined. Souls took turns to be healed, the spirit of Hotel Del Luna continued to be carried on by each member, each guest, generation after generation, decades after decades.

✧  
Junmyeon and Joohyun walked towards Mago and Grim Reaper with their hands tightly held. All the others were standing close to the side exit of the hotel, waiting to send their two friends off. 

There were two bottles of potion and a red thread on the table, Mago instructed them to take one potion each. She approached the two and tied the two ends of the red thread at each of their wrist. 

“Here is a little gift from me, as a reward for everything you have done for Hotel Del Luna. This red thread only works for souls moving on together, it will act as an invisible bond between the two of you. No one can be certain of what will happen in your next life, not even us. Yet, if the love between you is strong enough, fate will bring you together one day.” Mago smiled and added, “now, please drink the potion, don’t be scared, have faith.”

Junmyeon and Joohyun looked at each other, Junmyeon gave Joohyun a reassuring smile, and Joohyun nodded her head in response. They drank the potion and found it sweet like honey. After they finished the potion, they turned around and waved at the rest of the team, smiled and asked them to take good care of themselves.

They bade farewell to the place where they had been staying for over a century, then they followed Grim Reaper towards the Rainbow Bridge, towards the next chapter of their life.

Jieun was wiping tears away from her face, she had witnessed countless parting, but Joohyun always had a special place in her heart. She was like Jieun’s little sister, she knew she would have a hard time getting over this. Jongdae patted Sejeong’s head to comfort the younger, it was her first time sending souls off. She was emotional and couldn’t stop sobbing.

Sehun could feel Baekhyun’s tight grip on his hand, his lover was nervous. He knew Baekhyun was thinking about the day when he eventually had to leave. Pulling his lover into his embrace, Sehun whispered, “don’t worry too much, I’m here with you.”

Baekhyun wrapped both arms around Sehun’s waist, “I know, but it’s difficult not to think about that.”

“Let’s go back for dinner, Bogum ordered pizza.” Jieun forced a smile on her face and said. The team returned to the hotel and had their very first dinner without Junmyeon and Joohyun.

✧  
Jieun saw Baekhyun drinking at the rooftop bar on his own, she grabbed her craft beer and sat next to him.

“Drinking on your own without Sehun, huh?” She smirked.

“He is helping Sejeong with something. It’s good... to have some time on my own, I guess.” 

“Am I disturbing you then?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “No, not at all.”

“It feels strange... without them.” Jieun sipped her beer and sighed. 

Baekhyun stared at his cocktail, head full of thought. It tasted different from the one Junmyeon used to make for him. He finished the remaining cocktail in one gulp, filling his throat with Tequila’s agave taste. 

“Baek, are you alright?” Jieun didn’t miss the unusual expression on Baekhyun’s face.

“I wonder what’s gonna happen... when it is my turn.” He stared at the empty cocktail glass, all he could see was the reflection of his melancholic blue eyes.

“Are you... regretting?” Jieun asked.

“For not forgiving him earlier? Or for forgiving him now?” Baekhyun forced a smile on his face. “No, I’m not regretting. I just feel like I’m... not ready to go yet.” 

“Baek, you’ve suffered so much, you deserve your closure and a good rest. I’m sure Sehun will understand.” Jieun placed her hand on top of Baekhyun’s and said.

“Yes, I know. We’ve talked about it, it’s easier said than done though. My heart aches whenever I see the clock ticking, the passage of time makes me anxious. I can’t look into his eyes without the thought that I won’t be able to see him again in a couple of months’ time... Yet, he won’t want to see me like this.” Baekhyun paused and exhaled. “I have to force those pessimistic thoughts out of my mind, at least when I’m with him. I’m trying to focus on the positive side, to treasure and enjoy the time we have. I’m trying, but it’s hard.”

“You know, I’ve known you for so long. You have changed a lot, I witness it with my own eyes. I can never imagine the weight of the burden you’ve been carrying on your shoulder, but I’m really glad that you have made it through. You will manage, I know you will. Everything will be alright.” Jieun gave Baekhyun a comforting smile.

“Everything will be alright... I hope so too.” Baekhyun took Jieun’s hand and stared at her. “What about you? You... never talked about yourself, I have no idea why you are staying here as long as I do. Are you still not gonna tell me?”

Slight hesitance was shown on Jieun’s face, but she eventually smiled again. _Perhaps it’s time now, finally._

“Do you really wanna know? I think we need better wine, let’s pick one from my wine cellar. Come on.” 

✧  
_Life went on._ Three simple words weighed lighter than feather, at the same time they hit the couple harder than lead. Snowflakes melted on their palms at chilly winter night while time was slipping through their fingers. It was cruel, but they eventually accepted the fact that the harder one held onto the snow, the faster it melted. Nothing could stop time from passing, what they could do was to live the best out of it.

With the reduction in the hotel’s occupancy rate, Baekhyun and Sehun got more time to spend together. They tried to live their life as usual, even though each of them secretly kept a calendar in their mind, counting down to the inevitable moment when they would finally part. 

They stood in the middle of a crowd at Hongdae, listening to Chanyeol’s husky voice warming up the cold night. _Everything is dark and I only see you, It's so simple that it's pretty long, now I only think of you..._ He was singing a song called _Minimal Warm_. Baekhyun leaned his head on Sehun’s shoulder, closed his eyes and enjoyed the music. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he pictured all the moments he had with Sehun, from wake-up cuddles to goodnight kisses. Sehun was all in his mind, Sehun was all he loved, Sehun was all he needed.

Sehun stared at the adorable expression of his lover, eyes turning into crescents. He never felt so blissful before, Baekhyun brought colours to his life, showered his days with love and made every second memorable. He tightened the grip on Baekhyun’s freezing hand and pressed a kiss on his forehead, “babe, shall we go for dinner now?”

They went on dates like normal couples. Sehun never let go of Baekhyun’s hand in public, Baekhyun always tiptoed and kissed Sehun on his lips when they were waiting for the traffic lights. Their eyes were sparkling whenever they were next to each other, their surrounding was filled with pink bubbles all the time. 

“Can we try the photo booth once again?” Baekhyun suggested after they finished dinner.

“Are you sure?” Sehun raised his brows and chuckled, “you know, you don’t have to go inside a photo booth, you can kiss me right here.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, “it’s not like that! I just wanna do it properly this time.”

They found one nearby and squeezed into the tiny booth. Sehun inserted the coins into the machine and asked, “since you are the one suggesting this, you have to decide how should we pose.”

“Let’s start with the easy one then.” Baekhyun pointed at the sample where two girls were grinning with a V sign.

“I thought you said that was dumb.” Sehun laughed, he made a V sign with his hand and pinched Baekhyun’s cheek.

Baekhyun pouted and flung Sehun’s hand away, “it’s less dumb when we are doing it together.”

After that, they started following the idols, making all sorts of heart. Finger heart and hand heart were easy, but Baekhyun soon gave Sehun a challenge.

“Babe, I can’t.” Sehun started to regret letting Baekhyun decide what to do, he wondered if Baekhyun really wanted to take photos or just wanted to make fun of him.

“Come on, _please_.” Baekhyun pouted again, staring at Sehun with his rosy eyes.

Sehun could never say no to Baekhyun, especially when he was looking at him like that, so he surrendered. He first let out a sigh, then he started making a heart with his hands, he opened his mouth and pretended to swallow the heart in slow motion. Baekhyun burst into laughter while a couple of flashing sound was heard.

Sehun glared at his lover who was still cracking up, “this is so embarrassing.”

“But you did it... It is the best apple heart... better than those idols... really.” Baekhyun was almost out of breath after laughing too hard, he took a deep breath to calm himself down, still having a wide grin on his face.

“Look at you, last time you were pissed the whole time, and now you are laughing like a kid.” Sehun petted Baekhyun’s hair and said.

“You’ve made enough fun of me, I need to get my treat now.” Sehun added. Without hesitating, he pulled Baekhyun close and pressed their lips together. They kissed passionately inside the booth, forgetting the fact that they were there to take photos.

“Hahahhaaaa I had fun.” Baekhyun looked at the photos, satisfied. “You look so cute.”

“Not as cute as you, babe.” Sehun took Baekhyun’s hand and put it inside his pocket. 

They wandered around until almost mid-night. The street gradually became quiet, soon only the sound of the blowing wind remained. They raised their head and looked at the sky. It was a clear night, with a couple of stars shining next to the bright silver plate.

_It was their third last full moon._

✧  
_Life went on._ Sand flew through the hourglass, life slipping away without one even noticing. They woke up early and went outside for a morning jog. After a quick shower, they occupied a corner of the kitchen and had fun preparing breakfast. When Sehun finished serving the perfect looking all-day breakfast on the dining table, Baekhyun returned to the room, holding two cups of coffee with latte art.

“What’s this?” Sehun looked at the shape on his coffee with a confused expression. “A clover?”

“Yaaaa! That’s a cherry blossom.” Baekhyun whined and crossed his arms, displeased. “You have to guess this one correctly.”

“Hmmm... that’s tough. It looks like a ball.” Sehun chuckled, having fun teasing his boyfriend.

“Yaayaayaaaa! That’s a moon, a moon! Look, this shade is the _lunar mare_.” Baekhyun pouted and glared at his boyfriend, who was bursting into laughter.

“I’m just joking, I _know_ this is a moon. How can I not recognise our symbols, huh?” Sehun was still laughing, but he stopped when he saw the annoyed expression on Baekhyun’s face. He placed a quick peck on his cheek, “come on, let’s eat. The food is getting cold.”

They had their regular team meeting, the new team was working quite well. Although Sejeong was rather inexperienced, she had proven herself to be a fast learner, after all she had excellent academic results. Jongdae was little bit concerned that it would take a long time for the team to get along, but soon he realised he was worrying over nothing. Thanks to the easy-going personality of Sejeong and Bogum, the trio became close really fast, they even had their _KBS (K-drama, beer and sleepover)_ gathering every Friday night at the newly renovated _Sky Castle suite_. (TMI: Jongdae was crying the most among the three, his teary face and whiny _“wehhh?”_ often amused the other two.)

Due to the reduced working schedule, they didn’t have new guests everyday. Baekhyun and Sehun would go out in the afternoon if they didn’t have work. Sehun brought him to more popular dating places (after spending hours researching online and watching clips from Sejeong - which in most cases were not useful). 

They were at _Han River_ , waiting for sunset. Sehun wrapped his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulder and asked, “you were here stalking us last time, weren’t you?”

“I wasn’t stalking!” Baekhyun immediately defended himself. “That was a _snap check_. I am your boss and I need to ensure you are performing up to standard.”

“Am I performing up to your standard then?” Sehun lowered his head and kissed his boyfriend.

“Hey, don’t think you can bribe your boss like this.” Baekhyun acted annoyed, but he ended up chuckling.

“Is this not enough? But it is rather difficult for me to go further here...” Sehun smirked mischievously, caressing Baekhyun’s thigh in a sensual way.

“Stop it! Bastard.” Both of them burst into laughter before their lips found their way to each other.

A couple of minutes later, the sun started to set, Baekhyun was astounded by the view. “This is mesmerising.” 

“This is the perfect sunset I’ve ever seen, because I have my love by my side.” Sehun couldn’t help but kissed Baekhyun again.

Baekhyun felt like he was going to melt. He had never been so in love before, he was truly grateful that they found their way back to each other. 

They returned to the hotel after the sky getting dark. Before heading back to their room, Sehun brought Baekhyun to the botanic garden. Baekhyun stood in front of his soul tree, stunned by what he saw. There was a large hollowed heart formed by candles, it was surrounded by the pink cherry blossom petals. The petals formed a few words at the centre of the heart.

_Beotkkot ♡ Manwol_

There was a little box right on top of the heart. Sehun took the box and kneeled down in front of Baekhyun. 

“My love, will you marry me?” Sehun asked, it was the simplest confession, yet, the most sentimental one.

Baekhyun looked at the little jewel box. There was a pair of couple rings, and a pair of pendants. A full moon and a cherry blossom. They looked almost the same as the one Sehun bought him a thousand years ago.

Joyful tears rolled down Baekhyun’s cheek, he kneeled down and embraced Sehun, “of course, yes.”

They put the ring on each other’s ring finger, followed by the necklace on each other’s neck. 

“Where did you find these? They look almost the same as the one we had...” Baekhyun asked, touched and overwhelmed with happiness.

“Do you remember you were looking at some pendants on our first date? I drew the pendants’ design from memory, went back to that shop and asked them to customise them for me. Our names are engraved both on the rings and the pendants.” The moment Sehun finished the sentence, he felt Baekhyun’s soft lips pressing against his. 

They had been in love with each other for so long, it didn’t really matter whether they tied the knot or not. Yet, when they vowed in front of Baekhyun’s soul tree under the blessing of the stars, promised they would love each other regardless of what was going to happen, it still made them emotional and touched.

“Sehun, in case you find someone after I’m gone...” Sehun didn’t give Baekhyun the chance to finish his sentence, he silenced his lover, now _husband_ , with another kiss.

“There won’t be anyone other than you.”

The _soul tree_ was half withered now, leaving only a handful of flowers on the branches. Winter wind became milder while heavy snow had stopped. It was approaching springtime. 

_It was their second last full moon._

✧  
_Life went on._ Another couple of days were crossed out from Baekhyun’s calendar, he was in his office, busy tidying up his documents. Most of his files were stored neatly inside the archive room, he only needed to consolidate and organise the files for the past 10 years. He flipped through the album which showed the faces of all the souls who had spent time here, days, weeks or months. _Probably I should take a photo for Jieun to put in her album._ He smiled bitterly.

He heard a knock on his door, Jieun stepped into his office, dressed in a black sleeveless midi skirt with a pair of black gloves. She had her hair tied up in a bun, she also wore the pearl necklace Baekhyun bought (was forced to buy, to be exact) her.

“ _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_ style?” Baekhyun chuckled when he saw Jieun walking towards him elegantly, a cup of coffee on her hand.

“Right, I’m into Audrey Hepburn recently, such a classy woman. I’m _Jieun Hepburn_ today.” Jieun giggled.

“You have been wearing black a lot these days.” Baekhyun’s gaze met with Jieun’s, and the smile gradually faded from his face. 

“Just, feel like it.” Jieun noticed the slight uneasiness on Baekhyun’s face. “Hey, I told you, I don’t wanna see this kind of expression on your face.”

“I...” Baekhyun sighed. He did promise Jieun, after she told him her story, he would not feel bad. Yet, again, it was not that easy.

“It is my choice, okay? You’re not in the wrong.” Jieun patted Baekhyun’s shoulder before switching topic, “are you done with the files?”

“More or less. I still have something else to do, but I should be able to finish all by end of next week.” 

“You should take some time off, stop being a workaholic for a while won’t harm you. Go somewhere with your husband, you still owe him a honeymoon.” Jieun smirked. “I know you are hopelessly boring so I have prepared something for you... look at this...”

Jieun was really going all out for the couple this time, she had arranged a private cruise trip for the two, Baekhyun and Sehun were both in awe once they stepped in the cruise ship. They were going to spend some time on the ship, stopping over at various ports. 

She hired the best chefs to cook for the two, making sure they had different cuisine for every meal. Baekhyun looked at what was served on the table and asked confusedly, “why are they serving chocolate fondue for breakfast?”

Sehun shrugged his shoulder, “I have no idea. Chocolate fondue itself is not a problem, serving small steamed buns _(xiao long bao)_ together with chocolate fondue is... really weird.”

“This is Ms Lee’s special request, she said these two dishes are her favourite and requested us to serve both on the first day.” The catering manager explained, trying hard not to laugh after seeing the funny expression on the couple’s face.

“I’m quite sure she didn’t mean serving both at the same time though.” Sehun chuckled. “Anyway, we will enjoy the food. Thank you.”

After the catering manager left, the couple agreed that they would check all menu for the rest of the trip to make sure similar situation wouldn’t happen again. 

They were staying in a honeymoon suite, decorated with roses and balloons. Of course, it was Jieun’s idea. They laughed when they saw the couple bathrobes and slippers in pink. They took a nice bath at the spacious bathtub, Sehun let Baekhyun sit on his lap and started rubbing his back. Baekhyun closed his eyes and whimpered softly.

“Babe, you smell so good.” Sehun mumbled while pressing soft pecks on Baekhyun’s nape. His hands kept wandering on his lover’s body. 

Feeling his husband’s erection against his butt, Baekhyun turned around and whined, “it’s still daytime and you already can’t wait?”

Sehun pulled Baekhyun close and pressed their lips together, “I can never resist you.” He whispered towards Baekhyun’s ear, “lie down here, babe. I want you, now.”

They ended up spending the entire afternoon inside their honeymoon suite. Baekhyun was glad that there was massage service on the cruise ship, he was pretty sure this afternoon was just the beginning. 

While Sehun was bathing after a fulfilling Italian dinner, Baekhyun secretly sent a message to the operation manager. _Is there a readily available spare suite for me to stay... just in case I catch a cold?_

A few days later, the cruise ship made a temporary stop at a deserted island. The couple would stay on the island for one night, they prepared all the necessities and decided to set up a tent on a beach. 

“It’s my first time wild camping. I’m excited!” Said Baekhyun with a wide grin on his face. “You have to tell me what to do though.”

“No worries, I’ll teach you. Let’s set up the tent now.” Sehun was grateful he was in the hiking and camping club during high school. He absolutely hated it back then, but the skills he learnt finally became useful now.

Baekhyun had only gone to a beach with Mr Jang before, they did nothing but sitting on a beach mat, staring at the sea and meditating (they were cleansing their souls, after all). Sehun showed Baekhyun how to build a sand castle, they played a few games of beach volleyball, they chased each other playfully around the beach, laughing like two innocent kids. 

Close to evening, Sehun started a fire and prepared for barbecue. While he was busy grilling the meat, Baekhyun wrapped his arms around his lover’s waist from behind.

“Hungry? It’s almost done.” Sehun said softly.

“Hmmm, they look tasty!” The appealing food on the rack made Baekhyun’s mouth water.

The couple was enjoying the grilled meat and cold beer with the gentle sea breeze and the melodic sound of waves. The rack was soon emptied and they went for a short walk after their stomach was completely full.

“Dear, I’m really, really happy.” Baekhyun looked at their intertwined fingers with their couple rings and smiled. “I feel like I’m the most blessed one on earth.”

“Babe, you are not.” Sehun chuckled, “because the most blessed one is the one loved by you.”

“Look, we have walked quite far.” Baekhyun turned around and pointed at the two sets of footprints all along the beach. “I’m glad that you are by my side.”

“Me too.” Sehun smiled and pressed his lips against Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Sehun’s neck and the two kissed passionately under the moon.

They were both indulged in this romantic moment, neither of them looked up to the sky. They never got tired of kissing each other, they were not willing to break the kiss. When their lips finally parted, they stared at each other fondly without saying anything. 

“I love you.” Baekhyun said.

“I love you too.” Sehun echoed. 

They walked back to their tent hand in hand, ready to enjoy another peaceful sleep in their lover’s embrace. 

_I don’t want to leave him._ Lying comfortably in Sehun’s arms, Baekhyun closed his eyes and prayed. 

Sehun tugged Baekhyun closer, savouring every second of having his lover in his arms. He knew it was one of the last few times he could hug his lover to sleep. He let out an inaudible sigh. _I don’t want to let him go._

At the same time, a few shooting stars were seen up on the cloudless sky. They were gone in the blink of an eye, leaving behind the silver bright moon. In a few days’ time, it would be another full moon, which was predicted to be one of the brightest super moon in this decade. 

A couple of hours later, the sun rose as usual, nothing had changed. The shooting starts didn’t hear their prayers, there were no miracles. Sehun and Baekhyun woke up in other’s arms, they returned to the cruise ship, finished their trip and returned to Hotel Del Luna two days later. 

Baekhyun found it hard to bid farewell to all familiar faces. Instead of hosting a farewell party, he decided to just invite the team for a casual dinner, although Jieun insisted they had to dine at the Great Hall.

The atmosphere was awkwardly silent, they sent Junmyeon and Joohyun off not long ago, it was hard to believe that they were going to send their co-director away very soon. Baekhyun opened a bottle of champagne and poured it into several glasses.

“I guess you all know I’m not a fan of emotional speech... yet Jieun insisted I should at least say something. I don’t know... it still doesn’t feel real. I have been here for so long, have gone through so much. It is hard to believe that my journey at this hotel is gonna come to an end. It is even harder to believe that I’m gonna leave and move on to my next life... to become a human again. I’m not as excited as I thought I would be, because I feel like I’m still not ready to go, and I don’t think I will ever be ready neither.” Baekhyun paused for a moment, clearing his throat.

“I may not say this very often, but I genuinely enjoy working with all of you. Hotel Del Luna has been my home for ten centuries, and all of you are my family. Maybe you have been by my side since the very beginning, maybe we just met a few months ago, maybe you have seen me at my worst, maybe you have loved me at my best. We are fortunate enough to meet each other, like Mago said, _it’s all fate._ I’m glad that we have been part of each other’s journey, and we may, at certain point of time, cross path again, who knows. I sincerely thank you for everything you have done for this hotel, and I hope you will continue carrying on the spirit of Hotel Del Luna. _Thank you._ ”

Baekhyun raised his glass, the team toasted together one last time. Jieun was the first one bursting into tears. 

“ _Damn,_ I said I won’t cry.” She whined. Baekhyun walked towards her and gave her a hug. They held each other tight for a long while until Jieun calmed down.

“Take good care of yourself. Remember what you promised, you will go and search for your happiness soon.” Baekhyun wiped the tears away from Jieun’s face and said.

“I know, after I finish my last mission, as I promised.” Jieun forced a slight smile on her face.

Baekhyun hugged all team members one by one. 

“ _Hyung,_ it’s the first time you hug me.” Jongdae said, eyes teary.

“It’s also the first time you call me _hyung_.” Baekhyun smiled. “Take good care of the two newbies.”

Jongdae nodded, “they are doing well, you don’t have to worry.”

“Oppa...” Sejeong was sobbing again, “you needa let me call you oppa today...”

Baekhyun patted her hair and hugged her, “alright, call me whatever you want, but don’t cry.”

“I wish you... all the best.” Bogum also gave Baekhyun a hug.

“Likewise.” Baekhyun hugged him back and said.

“Everyone, I want to thank you again, for your understanding that I prefer you not to come and send me off. Please take a good rest, tomorrow will be another day. I will probably be gone by the time you wake up, yet, part of my soul will always be with Hotel Del Luna. So, until the day we meet again, please take good care of yourself. Goodnight, and _goodbye_.” Baekhyun bowed to his team after he finished his farewell speech, his eyes turned bluish as he spoke.

Sehun remained silent the whole time, he waited till the end of Baekhyun’s speech and the rest of the team returned to their room. When only the two of them were left inside the hall, he immediately tugged his lover close for a hug. Baekhyun collapsed into his embrace and started sobbing.

“It will be fine, babe.” Sehun pressed a kiss on Baekhyun’s forehead.

“I... don’t want to forget you.” Baekhyun cried.

“If you don’t remember, I will remind you when we meet again.” Sehun smiled, he took his lover’s hand and led him back to the hotel.

The two were kissing their way back to Sehun’s bedroom, Sehun tossed Baekhyun gently onto the bed while kept kissing him. Baekhyun stared at his lover, his eyes gradually turned from melancholic blue to lustful purple. He reached out for Sehun’s shirt, unbuttoned it and threw it onto the floor, Sehun did the same. The two were soon naked, lips connected again.

Sehun’s hands started chasing over the smooth curve of Baekhyun’s waist, he lowered his head and shoved his face onto the crook of Baekhyun’s neck. He sucked and licked his lover’s most sensitive area, making Baekhyun whimper. Baekhyun caressed Sehun’s back sensually, then he wrapped his arms around Sehun’s nape to pull him closer. Their hot bodies were grinding against one another, Baekhyun could feel Sehun’s heavy panting on his shoulder.

“Sehun.” Baekhyun called his lover’s name breathily.

“Yah?” Sehun raised his head and stared at his lover, gaze dark, overflowed with burning desire.

Baekhyun took Sehun’s hand and sucked his fingers, then he mumbled with his eyes half-lidded, “kiss every inch of my body, mark me with your lips, make love to me till I can’t take it anymore, don’t stop even when I’m begging.”

Sehun’s erection was twitching after hearing Baekhyun’s command. Baekhyun looked so seductive, so sexy, he couldn’t wait to taste his lover over and over again.

“Got it.” Sehun smirked and started kissing Baekhyun’s collarbones. “I’ll make sure it’ll be the best night.”

The two started indulging themselves in making love to one another, waves of moans and low groans took turn to escape from their mouths. When they reached their first climax, the last petal on the cherry blossom tree fell from the branch. The super moon was shining up on the sky, staring at the pink petal staying still on the floor.

_It was their last full moon._

✧  
Sehun and Baekhyun were both worn out after their marathon love making. Sehun woke up first, he took a moment to appreciate Baekhyun’s adorable sleeping face. He approached Baekhyun and connected their lips together. The smaller opened his eyes unwillingly. 

“Good morning love.” Sehun smiled and said gently. “Did you sleep well?”

“Good morning.” Baekhyun yawned. “Yes... you were so aggressive, I was completely exhausted.”

“You literally asked me to do it till you can’t take it... I was just following your command.” Sehun teased with a chuckle.

“It was nice. I love it.” Baekhyun rolled on top of Sehun and said, voice little bit raspy. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Baekhyun’s soft lips soon landed on Sehun’s and they started kissing passionately again. 

“Babe...” Sehun caressed Baekhyun’s cheek and called him, a bitter smile appeared on his face. “I think it’s about time.”

“I know...” Baekhyun bit his lips, “one last time.” 

Baekhyun lowered his head and kissed Sehun again. He hated the word _last_. He didn’t want it to be the last hug, the last kiss, the last look. He didn’t want to leave.

They eventually got changed and left Sehun’s room. They walked towards the side exit of the hotel hand in hand, both heavy-hearted. Mago and Grim Reaper were already waiting there.

It was still early in the morning, the sun just rose and the moon was nowhere to be seen. Sehun tightened his grip, when this moment came, he realised that he wasn’t as tough as he wished he would be.

Baekhyun turned around and looked at his lover, a reserved smile and a pair of watery blue eyes on his face. He tiptoed and kissed Sehun, a gentle peck on his lips, a farewell kiss. “I... have to go now.”

Sehun pulled Baekhyun close and hugged him again, Baekhyun could feel Sehun’s tears dropping from his eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Sehun eventually let go of Baekhyun. The two stared at each other for a couple more seconds, then Baekhyun smiled at Sehun one last time, before he turned around and walked towards Mago and Grim Reaper.

They promised not to say goodbye, hoping there would be a chance to meet each other again, no matter how slim it would be.

Mago welcomed Baekhyun to the coffee table and passed him a potion. Sehun, standing faraway, witnessed his lover gulping down the potion. His heart sank, he couldn’t help but felt disheartened by the fact that his lover would soon forget him.

Baekhyun just finished the potion and stared at Mago, slightly puzzled. The potion was unusually hot, and it had a familiar aroma, the scent of lavender.

“Are you ready to go now? My favourite kid.” Mago asked, her signature smile on her face.

“I’m... not sure.” Baekhyun answered frankly.

“Dear, do you have faith in the love between the two of you?” Mago threw another question, Baekhyun nodded.

“Then you don’t have to worry. It will be fine.” Mago said, still smiling. “Remember how you feel when you look at him, and carry this feeling with you, no matter what is going to happen. If you trust me, go to Grim Reaper now.”

Baekhyun sighed heavily before getting up from the coffee table, he walked towards Grim Reaper rather reluctantly.

He loved Sehun, he knew Sehun loved him too, he had faith in their love. No matter what would happen, nothing could change the memories, the emotions, the infatuation they shared. He knew fate would make the best arrangement for them, the only thing he needed to do, was to believe.

Grim Reaper saw Baekhyun approaching, he patted his shoulder and said, “let’s go.”

Baekhyun finally vanished from Sehun’s sight, another wave of emotions intruded and attacked Sehun like a tornado, he felt utterly bereft. He burst into tears, weeping until he remembered the promise between Baekhyun and him. _No more crying._

It had barely been an hour, Sehun already felt emotionally drained, and he still had a lifetime to go. He didn’t know how long it would take for him to get over this stage, all he could do now was to breathe and take it slow. 

He looked at the couple ring shining on his ring finger and caressed it gently, feeling each letter of Baekhyun’s name engraved on it. He found comfort when he touched their gift, the only evidence of Baekhyun’s existence. He placed the ring close to his heart, closed his eyes and felt his regular heartbeat. 

Most of his life, Sehun was on his own, living with an empty heart, unable to feel. Now, he was on his own again, but every inch of his heart was filled with Baekhyun’s love, he could feel Baekhyun’s presence within him. Baekhyun healed him and made him feel alive again. 

He knew life would never be the same as before, because _his_ life had now become _their_ life.

Sehun took a final look of the empty pathway, then he turned around, murmured the last goodbye and walked back to Hotel Del Luna.

✧  
_Goodbye isn’t the end, it’s just another beginning._

_As long as the moon still shines, as long as the flowers still blossom._

_I’ll be loving you, for another thousand years, or more._

_Until we meet again. My love._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I had some free time so I proof-read and posted, all memories are revealed and this ch. is the end of the main story!! I hope you enjoyed the emotional roller coaster in this part like I do. Since I’m gonna include Jieun’s story in the epilogue, it becomes longer than I expected hence I will divide it into 2 parts. The things I didn’t mention in this ch. will be explained in the epilogue as well.
> 
> I’m now spending my vacation back home with my family (after one whole year... *sob*) so I probably need more time, I will try to finish it asap! Have a wonderful holiday, let me know how you think about the story too :)


	13. Epilogue I - The Purple Butterfly

✧  
_\- 50 years later -_

Jieun sat inside her office, staring at the file containing information of the only new guest of the day. She soon turned her focus to the photo nicely framed on the wall, the last group photo taken together with the dream team. Time lapsed quickly whenever one was busy, 50 years passed since the day Baekhyun left. People changed, environment changed, everything changed, only her gorgeous appearance remained the same. 

_Look, I’ve kept my promise._ She stared at the handsome face on the photos and smiled. It was going to be a special day today, so she picked a nice wine from her wine cellar, filled her wine glass and took a sip. Then she remembered the last time she drank with Baekhyun in this office, the time when she told Baekhyun her own story.

✧  
The two sat on the couch in Jieun’s office, each holding a glass of red wine. After taking a few sips, Jieun put the glass down, walked towards her office desk and took something form her drawer. She returned to the couch, passed a little flask of pinkish liquid to Baekhyun. “I think it’s time for me to return this to you.”

“What is this?” Baekhyun stared at the little flask, it looked the same as the ones inside Mago’s Cemetery. 

“ _Your memory._ ” Jieun said.

Baekhyun frowned his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll know soon, drink it first.” Jieun continued with a rather apologetic manner. She waited until Baekhyun finished drinking, then she showed Baekhyun a picture.

It was a sketch of a _purple butterfly_.

“Do you remember this?” Jieun asked.

“I have seen this butterfly before... more than once.” Baekhyun felt light-headed after drinking the liquid, but he found this butterfly extremely familiar. He tried hard and finally remembered where he saw it. “At the lake.”

Jieun smiled, “do you recall anything else now, when I talk about _purple butterfly_?”

Baekhyun paused and sank into deep thought. _Purple butterfly... Borasaek nabi (보라색 나비)... Borasaek... Nabi..._ Then a name came into his mind, a name that he had long forgotten.

“ _Bona (보나)_.” Baekhyun panted heavily, the blurry image of a girl he met at the lake appeared.

Jieun’s eyes turned into crescents when she heard Baekhyun calling her by her nickname. “My parents used to call me Bona back then, because I loved this kind of rare purple butterfly, which often appeared in the area of the lake. Baek, how old were you when you first met Sehun?”

“Hmmm... 18, I guess.” Pieces of broken memories started flashing in his head, but Baekhyun was still unable to fully recall what happened.

“What did you tell Sehun when he asked why were you at the lake?”

“I said... I was waiting for... _someone_.” Baekhyun had this memory replayed a million times so he knew every word he said that day.

“That’s right, now let me tell you what happened. I was born in a poor family from the South, I always went to the lake to look at the butterflies. We met at the lake when we were around 15 years old. I still remember that moment, I thought you had the most tender smile. In the harsh and contaminated world where I lived in, you were pure like an angel.”

“We became comfortable with each other pretty fast, then you told me you were in fact the 10th prince of the Kingdom. You were locked inside the palace most of the time, you were not allowed to show your face in public because some stupid fortune tellers once said to the Queen that you would lose your life if you were too high-profiled. The lake was a place where you escaped to once or twice a month, it was all freedom you had.” While Jieun continued narrating their story, Baekhyun started to remember scenes of them sitting by the lake, talking to each other.

“I realised I had fallen for you. You were intelligent, well-spoken and kind-hearted. I was living a tough life and from time to time I felt like my life was meaningless, but you always managed to pull me out of those pessimistic thoughts and cheered me up the way no one else could. To me, you were a prince, and a saviour. I loved you, even though I knew I didn’t have the right to do so. I knew you probably didn’t see me that way, I was just the little sister you never had. Yet, when you smiled at me and said you wouldn’t mind marrying me in order to get me out of poverty, I really believed in it for a second, at least, having this kind of dream made my life less miserable.”

Baekhyun now remembered the girl who always looked at him fondly, who always tried her best to smile despite all hardship, who got the prettiest yet deepest eyes he had ever seen, she was the little sister he wanted to protect at all cost. “But you suddenly stopped coming to the lake...”

“Baek, it was not because I did’t want to, it was because I wasn’t able to. Shortly after my 17th birthday, I fell ill and had high fever for over a week. There was no one who could treat me in our village, and my family couldn’t afford a doctor in the city so... that was it.” Jieun paused and exhaled, her soulful eyes blinking. “I wished I had a chance to at least say goodbye back then.”

“Then Mago came to me, asking the usual stuff, I told her I wanted to stay by your side, I wanted to see your happy face. She transformed me into a purple butterfly, the one that was always flying close to you whenever you were at the lake, was me. I was there when you were waiting for me anxiously, I was there when you first met Sehun, I was also there when two of you gradually fell in love, I was still there when you were left behind...”

“That’s why you know every single bit about me.” Baekhyun concluded, feeling complicated.

“That’s true, I know you quite well.” Jieun let out a chuckle. “When Mago told me the assassination news, I couldn’t believe it at first, but I knew she would not lie to me. She mentioned you had a conversation with Grim Reaper, and you were at a dangerous state. Hatred and betrayal could easily ruin someone, regardless how kind that person used to be. I had never been that worried before, I admitted to her I was not able to move on knowing you were suffering like that. Then she made a proposal to me.”

“Mago and Grim Reaper knew you are not a bad person, they wanted to guide you through this trauma. Mago suggested us to takeover Hotel Del Luna, which was still called Luna Inn back then. I thought about it thoroughly and I accepted her offer with one condition - _she had to erase your memory of me_.”

“You... Jieun, why you have to do that?” Baekhyun let out a sigh, he couldn’t believe his best friend, his soulmate, who stayed with him from the beginning was hiding such a big secret from him. 

“I thought it may be better... I didn’t want you to feel burdened knowing you would never return my feelings. If you didn’t remember me, I would probably get over it easier, and I was right. It was hard at the beginning, but sooner or later I managed to suppress my feelings. I know it’s not fair to keep you in the dark for so long, but I’m still glad for that decision.” Jieun looked at Baekhyun and wondered what his reaction would be.

Baekhyun remained silent for a couple of minutes before he started talking again, “so what you are saying is... you could have moved on one thousand years ago, but you didn’t, because of me?”

“Don’t ever think of blaming yourself, Byun Baekhyun. I just want my first love to be happy again.” Jieun smiled. “Work is tough, but I got the chance to enjoy myself as well. I’ve been living quite a well-off life as a soul, I must say.”

Baekhyun still felt awful about the truth he just discovered, Jieun was here because she wanted him to find his happiness back. While he was staying in the hotel because of hatred, she was staying because of love. 

“I... I don’t know what should I say, apart from... thank you and... I’m sorry.” Baekhyun sighed.

“Stop apologising, bastard! I told you this is my choice, you don’t have to feel guilty.” Jieun put her hand on top of Baekhyun’s. “Please, don’t make me regret my decision of telling you the truth.”

Baekhyun stared at Jieun and eventually nodded his head, a wide grin immediately appeared on Jieun’s face.

“You’ve done enough for me. I... want you to be happy too.” 

“I know, and I will, just let me do one more thing for you.” Jieun decided to tell Baekhyun her plan. “You will probably worry about Sehun, right? I will stay in the hotel and will send him off myself when the time comes. He will be my last guest. Thereafter, I’m gonna free myself from Hotel Del Luna and start my next life. Mago already agreed, I told her that’s what I want as a reward of the mission.”

Baekhyun couldn’t hold his emotion, silent tears started falling from his eyes. “You don’t have to do this...”

“But I want to. I have been here long enough, staying for some more years doesn’t matter, it’s not like he will live till 200 years old.” 

“Jieun...” Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Jieun’s shoulder and brought her close for a hug. “Thank you.”

✧  
Jieun turned her focus back to the file she was holding, it was finally the day. Her manager went to pick Sehun up and they would be arriving in an hour or so. She stared at Sehun’s photo on the file, wondering if he had been living a good life after he left the hotel. 

Sehun tendered his resignation one week after Baekhyun’s departure, he bade farewell to the place filled with their memories and returned to his normal life. He got an offer from a luxury hotel and worked his way up to becoming the chief operating officer. He retired early, bought a guesthouse and started operating his small business. 

When the time came, he was lying comfortably on an armchair, petting his dog. He had a sudden urge to sleep, he stroked his dog’s soft fur a couple of times before placing a kiss on its head. “Vi, stay healthy and live well... I’m sure they will take good care of you. _Good night._ ”

Sehun fell asleep and stopped breathing eventually. A short while later, he felt a gentle pat on his shoulder, he opened his eyes again and saw a woman standing in front of him, a friendly grin on her face. He knew who she was before seeing the familiar badge on her uniform.

“I’m Wendy, the general manager of Hotel Del Luna. _Sunbaenim_ , I’m here to pick you up.” Wendy said with her warm voice, still grinning.

Sehun chuckled, “I can’t believe Jieun hired a girl. You don’t have to call me sunbae, Sehun is fine.”

“Well... Jieun wasn’t the one who hired me actually.” Wendy smiled, then she opened her bag, searching for something. “She has a request for you, before we return to the office.”

“Oh? What request?” Sehun raised his eyebrows and asked. Wendy took a pill from her bag and passed it to Sehun.

“Sunbae, the following is a direct quote from Jieun... so please don’t get mad at me. Start of the quote. _Wendy, please ask Sehun to take this pill before coming to the hotel. I’m pretty sure he still looks handsome like hell at age of eighty, but I prefer seeing him the way he was before he left the hotel. The pill is from Mago so it should be safe, if the dose is too much he will probably look little younger, but that doesn’t matter, tell him not to worry, he won’t end up turning into a newborn._ End of the quote.” Wendy imitated what Jieun said to her in her office, slightly embarrassed.

Sehun burst into laughter after hearing Jieun’s command, “there sounds like what she would say. Honestly, I won’t be that worried if I don’t know this pill comes from Mago... anyway I’ll take it.” 

He started to age backward right after he swallowed the pill, a couple of minutes later he looked exactly the same as the time when he was working at the hotel. Wendy stared at the hot guy standing in front of her, almost drooling. “What a pity...” She murmured.

“What did you say?”

“Ahh... nothing. Let’s go now, Jieun is waiting for you.” 

✧  
Hotel Del Luna didn’t look a lot different compared to the one in Sehun’ memory, it was renovated and modernised a little, but the classic and sumptuous vibes remained. They took the elevator, passed the lobby and arrived at Jieun’s office. Wendy knocked the door and soon Sehun heard a familiar voice saying “come in”.

“Good to see you again.” Jieun walked closer to Sehun and gave him a hug.

“Seems you don’t wanna see my old face, huh?” Sehun chuckled while hugging Jieun back.

“I’d rather say I miss your handsome face like this.” Jieun also burst into laugher. “Come and take a seat.”

Jieun offered Sehun a glass of wine and they talked for an hour or so. It was just like old friends who hadn’t met for decades, catching up on each other’s life. 

“Looks like you’ve had a busy yet fruitful life. I’m happy for you.” Jieun smiled.

“Right, life has been good. It was quite tough the first few years after I left Hotel Del Luna, but once I started focusing on my new job, everything gradually went back to normal. I promised Baek I will live my life the best I can, I don’t want to disappoint him.”

“You must be missing him a lot these years... I miss him too.” Jieun sighed, staring at their team photo once again.

“Yah... Missing him is my daily routine - just like breathing, eating and drinking water. It has become my habit that I’m almost missing him out of reflex. Sometimes I wonder how I manage it all these years, knowing I will never meet him again before I die but still loving him more and more day after day.” A bittersweet smile appeared on Sehun’s face while he spoke.

“I often dream about him, reading on his balcony, going out for a walk and staring at the sea, I once dreamt of him arguing with Mago then burning something in the Cemetery too.” Sehun chuckled. “Pretty sure these are all my imagination, but the dreams feel so real, they make me feel like I was in the same place with him, reading the same book, walking leisurely on the same path and breathing the same air... I’ve become attached not only to our memory, but to my own imagination, I must have gone crazy. I often wonder if there’s a chance that he is also doing the same, missing me, dreaming about me, going crazy like I do.”

“Jieun, I miss him so much.” Sehun paused, trying to control his emotion. “I’m finally here, but... I have no idea where he is now.”

Jieun patted Sehun’s shoulder, “don’t worry. Mago knows what you two have been through, she won’t let you suffer. I’m sure she has a plan in her mind. Now let’s go and say hello to the team first, they miss you a lot.”

“Are you managing the hotel on your own? Isn’t it too much for you?” Sehun asked when they were on their way to the lobby.

“Of course not, I’m gonna die if I have to do everything on my own.” Jieun made an exaggerated expression, “although I can’t die again...”

“Wendy, where is he?” Jieun saw Wendy and waved at her, “don’t tell me he is with Grim Reaper again.”

“Well.... yes, they are still in the office. I’ll go and fetch them, the others are all at the lobby.” Wendy dashed towards the direction where Baekhyun’s old office was located. 

✧  
“Oppa!!! I can’t believe it has been 50 years already...” Sejeong was the first one screaming loud once she saw Sehun, she immediately wrapped her arms around Sehun’s neck. 

“You’re still as energetic as before.” Sehun laughed. “I miss you guys.”

“We miss you too!” Jongdae added, he and Bogum also took turn to give Sehun a hug.

They continued chitchatting for a while and soon they heard footsteps approaching. 

“So, he’s here.” Jieun smirked and called the other co-director’s name. “ _Dooooo!_ ”

Sehun followed Jieun, he turned around and was surprised to see a familiar face walking towards him, accompanied by Wendy.

It was Kyungsoo, one of the evil spirit. _What is he doing here?_ Sehun was completely confused.

“I told you a million times, don’t call me like that. You have been calling me this way for 50 years, aren’t you bored?” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and said.

“You have also been calling me _peacock_ for 50 years, I’m not stopping.” Jieun stuck her tongue out and replied. She then turned to Grim Reaper, “don’t you have to work? Why are you here again? It is the 3rd time this week already!”

“I need to win this kid at least once this week, I’m not giving him the chance to brag about winning over me 3 times in a row.” Grim Reaper said in his usual low voice, sounding little bit offended.

“They became chess-mates shortly after Kyungsoo joined the hotel. The funny thing is, Grim Reaper often loses to Kyungsoo and he typically looks like this when he loses.” Bogum whispered to Sehun, explaining the whole confusing situation.

Sehun was still having questions in his mind, _how did Kyungsoo end up being the new co-director? Wasn’t he supposed to vanish?_

“Hey, Sehun, it’s been a while.” Kyungsoo offered his hand, Sehun hesitated but he shook his hand eventually.

“Yah, you’re right.” Sehun said rather flatly. He knew Kyungsoo wasn’t the one to be blamed, in fact Kyungsoo had saved both of them from further danger by firing at Jongin, but he couldn’t stop feeling tense when he saw the evil spirit once again.

“You’re probably wondering why I’m here, right?” Kyungsoo’s voice sounded softer than that in Sehun’s memory. “Grim Reaper and Mago came to us after they treated you that night. Jongin was already at final stage of vanishing so Grim Reaper took him, I was brought to the Cemetery and had stayed there for a while. At first, I thought they were waiting for a chance to eliminate me. However, after a month or so, Mago came and made a proposal to me. She told me Baekhyun would soon leave Hotel Del Luna, and they needed a new co-director to work with Ms Peacock.”

“Yahhhh!! Doh Kyungsoo!!!” Jieun immediately yelled in her high-pitched voice, making everyone laugh, even Sehun was chuckling.

“She said they would like to give me a chance, if I stay here and operate the hotel well, they will let me continue my journey and cross the Rainbow Bridge one thousand years later. I don’t know... if I worth this second chance, but I’m trying my best not to ruin it.” 

“Come on, Kyungsoo oppa, you are doing perfectly fine. The hotel is making good profit, the souls feel comfortable sharing their secrets with you, Mago calls you her latest favourite kid, even Grim Reaper visits the hotel thrice a week just to play chess with you... you are invincible!” Sejeong raised her thumb and praised Kyungsoo.

“He also sold all Jieun’s cars and yachts, leaving only one car for her daily use. Now whenever Jieun wants to buy things that are over KRW500,000, she needs to submit it in the system for Kyungsoo’s approval... she is having a tough time in recent years.” Bogum whispered next to Sehun again, at the same time giggling.

“One thousand years is not a short time, but I’m sure you will manage.” Sehun smiled at Kyungsoo. 

✧  
After having dinner and a nice chat with the team, Sehun rambled around on his own, soon arriving at the botanic garden. Baekhyun’s soul tree was gone after he left, the garden was now full of tulips in different colours, red, yellow, white and purple. Sehun noticed there was someone sitting on the bench in the dark, he walked closer and realised that was Kyungsoo. 

“Hey.” Sehun took a seat on the bench next to the one Kyungsoo was sitting.

“Hey.” Kyungsoo was an introvert, he wasn’t good at expressing himself. He could argue and joke with Jieun, but he was hesitant in having real conversation.

“Are you responsible for all gardening work?” Realising Kyungsoo wasn’t going to say anything further, Sehun decided to initiate the conversation.

“Yes, she can’t manage.” Kyungsoo snickered a little.

“It looks beautiful.” Sehun also chuckled, he didn’t forget to compliment Kyungsoo for the well-maintained garden, “but why tulips in particular?”

“Because tulips symbolise love and each colour has different meaning. Red for romance, yellow for happiness, white for forgiveness and purple for rebirth. These are what souls mostly need, I plant them so I can give the souls some flowers as a gift before they move on.” Kyungsoo explained.

“That’s a brilliant idea. How do you feel about working here without... _him_?” Sehun asked, still didn’t want to mention Jongin’s name.

“I’m not gonna lie, I miss Jongin, the old him, and his cheerful smile. At the beginning, I felt empty without him. I felt suffocated whenever I recalled the moment I shot him. But then I remembered his _thank you_ , his last smile. I reminded myself that I didn’t have a choice, I got to do it no matter how difficult it was. The pain in my heart subsided over the years, I started to find new meanings through assisting the souls. I guess, the process of healing them, also heals myself.” Kyungsoo smiled when Jongin’s smile appeared in his mind.

“I know how it feels.” Sehun responded. “But I’m happy for you, you seem to blend in with them quite well.”

“Life is easier when you stop being edgy all the time, I would say.” Kyungsoo said half-jokingly. “What about you? I’ve read your file, you seemed to have lived a good life, do you have anything in your mind that we could help?”

“Not really, I already found someone to take care of my dog. The only thing I want to do is to come back to Hotel Del Luna and spend some time reminiscing our past.” Sehun pointed towards the right side. “There used to be a cherry blossom tree, his soul tree. I proposed to him there.”

“I once heard this from Jongdae, you don’t look as romantic as you are.” 

“I was never romantic until he taught me how to love.” Sehun smiled.

“Then, do you mean you are indeed ready to go after looking around here?” Kyungsoo raised his brows, large eyes blinking at this sudden realisation. 

“I guess so.” 

“Well, I better let you have some time on your own then.” Kyungsoo patted Sehun’s shoulder and stood up.

“Thanks for talking with me. Good night.” Sehun felt peaceful after this conversation, Kyungsoo let out a calm vibe that made others trust him, he started to understand why Sejeong said souls felt at ease talking to Kyungsoo.

“Likewise. Good night.” Kyungsoo then returned to the hotel on his own, leaving Sehun alone in the garden.

Wandering around the tulip field, Sehun recalled the moments he spent with Baekhyun, from the first time he pulled Baekhyun close for a hug when he was furious, to the final days when they confessed their love and vowed under the soul tree. _I’ve made it here finally, but where are you now, babe?_

Sehun took the elevator to the rooftop bar and asked for a cocktail. The bartender made him a Moscow Mule, he took a sip and let the vodka flowing down his throat. The setting of the rooftop bar was changed after the renovation. The bar table where he and Baekhyun flirted with each other was replaced. He chuckled when he remembered how Baekhyun seduced him after drinking Junmyeon’s cocktail. The feeling was still there, the softness of Baekhyun’s lips, the sensual touch of Baekhyun’s hands, Sehun remembered clearly the way they kissed, the way they wanted one another.

 _It has been 50 years and I’m still horny whenever I think about that night._ Sehun secretly laughed at himself.

Decided to call it a day, Sehun thanked the bartender and returned to the lower floor. Jieun arranged him to stay in one of the newest suite - the Dream suite. With the most advanced technology, the design and decoration of the room could be customised according to the request of the guest. Jieun and Kyungsoo were both living in a Dream suite, Jieun had her room decorated like a fashion show venue at this moment, while Kyungsoo’s room had always stayed in a monotone ocean of black and white ever since he moved in.

Sehun entered his room and started entering his request. Dark starry sky first appeared on the wall, then the lake, followed by the cherry blossom tree. Sehun’s room soon turned into the lake where he first met Baekhyun and fell in love with him. Looking around with a contented smile, Sehun threw himself onto the soft mattress and closed his eyes.

_Good night, my love._

✧  
Artificial gentle sunlight peppered soft kisses on Sehun’s face, he opened his eyes and noticed the room’s wall changed to a clear blue sky. He looked at his mobile and realised that he had been sleeping for over 10 hours, it was approaching 11 in the morning. Quickly dressed up with the clothes Jieun prepared for him, Sehun stared at himself in front of the full-length mirror, wondering if Jieun’s fashion sense had indeed deteriorated over the years. He checked his appearance again and decided to just go with the red velvet suits and black dress shirt.

He arrived Luna cafe at 11:30, Sejeong and Jongdae were there already. Sejeong waved at him with the same cheerful grin on her face. 50 years apart, she still radiated the same energetic vibes, making everyone around her spirited. 

“Oppa, I ordered your favourite bubble tea for you.” Sejeong giggled, “I fought very hard to keep this in the menu when Bogum proposed to replace it with something else.”

“That’s very kind of you.” Sehun also chuckled, “I stopped drinking bubble tea for ages, you know, when you get older your nutritionist just forbids you to eat this or drink that... it really sucks.”

“But at least you stay healthy, that’s the most important thing, isn’t it?” Jongdae smiled.

“Yah, that’s true. How’s life?” Sehun asked.

They had a relaxing chat at the cafe for an hour before the two had to resume working. They gave Sehun a hug and wished him good luck as they knew their friend would probably prefer them not to accompany him when he left.

“Sejeong, find your Prince Charming soon, and Jongdae, take good care of yourself. Thanks for this nice catch up.” Sehun smiled and patted their shoulder one by one.

“Oppa, all the best to you, I hope you will find Baekhyun oppa soon! _Hwaiting!!!_ ” Sejeong gave Sehun another tight hug.

“Take care too, Sehun, I’m really glad to see you again. Have a safe journey and good luck.” Jongdae was happy for Sehun, he was certain Sehun would eventually meet his lover again.

After biding farewell, Sehun wandered around Hotel Del Luna one final time. He felt like Baekhyun was walking side by side with him. He dreamt about his lover again the night before. Baekhyun was inside his room, painting. The painting wasn’t even half finished, but Sehun recognised it at once, it was exactly the same as the one Baekhyun gave him in that life. A soft smile appeared on Baekhyun’s face when he started colouring the silver full moon.

 _So he is thinking about me, too._ Sehun felt contented knowing Baekhyun was also thinking about him somewhere. Even it was just a scene in his dream, it felt very real, as if Sehun could feel Baekhyun’s love and affection, as if they were not miles apart but just a couple of steps away from each other, as if he could reach his lover if he extended his arm.

Sehun laughed at his naive thought. These _as ifs_ made him flustered, he knew he shouldn’t hold his hope high, yet, it was imagination that kept him going for years. Dreams were all he had, dreams were all they shared, dreams were all that kept their connected souls from falling apart.

_I wish those were more than as ifs, though._

✧  
Jieun was waiting for Sehun at the side exit in the late afternoon. A satisfied smile appeared on her face when she saw Sehun appearing in the red velvet suits she picked, she murmured, “I really have the best fashion sense, it’s a pity Kyungsoo doesn’t let me touch his wardrobe, he only has boring clothes.”

Sehun greeted Jieun and asked if she had a good rest. They chatted for a while before Jieun passed a flower bouquet to Sehun, “this is a farewell gift from Kyungsoo, he wishes you all the best.”

Sehun gazed at the bunch of nicely arranged red tulips, which symbolised everlasting and perfect love. He imagined giving the red tulips to Baekhyun and confessed his love to him again. “That’s really beautiful, thanks.”

“He looks serious most of the time, but he is in fact very kind-hearted, a reliable partner, like Baekhyun.” Jieun stared at Sehun and asked, “are you ready to go?”

“I’ve been ready for years.” Sehun nodded.

The two soon saw Mago waiting at the usual spot, Sehun bowed and Mago greeted him with her never-changing wide grin.

“My dear, finally you are here. We have been waiting for you.” Mago gave Sehun a firm hug. “Please come with me.”

Jieun asked with a confused expression when Mago was leading Sehun into the Cemetery, “I thought he should drink his potion here?”

“My stupid assistant messed something up so I need to go inside and fix the potion myself... no worries, I assure you everything will be fine.” Mago smiled. “Girl, you have done a terrific job. Leave the rest to me.”

Jieun stared at Mago and eventually nodded. “Alright, please take care of him then. Sehun, I doubt if I will ever see you again, if not, I wish you and Baek all the best.”

She reached Sehun and hugged him, Sehun wrapped his arms around Jieun and said, “thanks for everything. Good luck to you too.”

After bidding farewell to her last guest, Jieun wandered back to the hotel. The trees seemed greener than usual, she inhaled deeply and smiled, feeling relieved. 

_Baek, my mission is complete, now it’s finally time to search for my own happiness... Wait, since when Mago started having an assistant?_

✧  
“Please take a seat here.” Mago served Sehun some hot lavender tea at her library.

“I guess this is not the potion I’m supposed to drink?” Sehun took a few sips of the tea, the calming scent relaxed his slightly nervous mind.

“Just wait a bit, I told you my assistant is stupid, he...” Mago chuckled, before she finished her sentence, they heard someone yelling while dashing down the spiral stairs.

“Yaaaaahhhhhh!!! You gave me a wrong formula, the potion is...” The owner of the voice and Sehun both froze when they saw each other, Sehun’s eyes widened and the flask that person was holding dropped onto the floor.

“Ahha, dear, my formula is right, it burns at the right time.” Mago winked and laughed before turning back to Sehun, “now I’ll leave you alone with my stupid assistant, guess you guys have quite a lot to catch up?”

The two were still in complete shock after Mago disappeared from the library.

“Baekhyun?” Sehun stood up and slowly approached the smaller, who was wearing a white laboratory coat, a light pink headband and a pair of black frame glasses, some ashes on his cheeks and tip of his nose. He looked like a mess, but he was still amusingly cute.

“Sehun?” Baekhyun couldn’t believe in what he saw, his handsome lover was walking towards him slowly. “Am I... dreaming?”

“No, you are not.” Sehun stopped right in front of his lover, took his hand and pressed a kiss on his palm, he was so emotional seeing Baekhyun once again after all these years.

Happy tears rolled down Baekhyun’s dirty face, he had been dreaming about their reunion all the time, yet he felt like his brain was short-circuited when it finally happened. Baekhyun immediately wrapped his arms around Sehun and hugged his lover tightly.

“Arggghhhhh fuck.” He whined while burying his face on the crook of Sehun’s neck. “We haven’t met for half a century, and when we finally see each other again I look like a nerd just escaped from a lab explosion.”

Sehun stared at Baekhyun, wiped the ashes on his cheek and smiled, “babe, you still look the same, you are as adorable as before.”

“Wait.” Baekhyun counted his fingers. “Aren’t you supposed to be like 80 years old? Why you still look so young?”

“Jieun forced me to eat some pills from Mago, she didn’t want to see my old face.” Sehun giggled.

“Oh! That’s why Mago suddenly asked me to prepare some _ephoebus_ pills.” Baekhyun’s heart felt warm, realising Mago was indeed assisting him secretly all the time.

“Babe, why... are you here? I thought you were gone...” Sehun pressed a kiss on Baekhyun’s forehead and asked.

“It’s a long story. Let me quickly take a shower then we can talk, wait for me at my room.” Baekhyun tiptoed and kissed the taller, when he was about to break the kiss he felt Sehun’s large hand pressing at the back of his head. They kept kissing with each other, feeling their soft lips connecting, their tongues dancing inside. 

The passionate kiss felt the same, the affection between them didn’t fade a bit, they could see all the longing in each other’s eyes. Finally, after all these years, their lips, their body, their souls found their way back to one another.

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! Here is the first part of the epilogue, Jieun’s story is revealed! Anyone noticed the purple butterfly has been brought up a few times in the visions? Also, does the new co-director come as a surprise? More importantly, Sehun and Baekhyun reunited (I’m not that cruel haha)!!! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter, next update will really be the last one... take care and see you soon! :)


	14. Epilogue II - Selenophile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: implied sexual content

✧  
Both of them changed into more comfortable clothes and entered Baekhyun’s bedroom. Sehun looked around and was surprised to see Baekhyun’s room looking exactly the same as the one in his dream. _Is it possible... that those dreams are more than just dreams?_

The room looked cosy under the dim light, Baekhyun lit a scented candle and soon the entire space was filled with light calming woody scent. Holding Sehun’s waist gently, Baekhyun guided him towards the couch and sat down relaxedly. Baekhyun leaned his head on Sehun’s shoulder while Sehun wrapped his arm around the smaller. Both were enjoying a few minutes of silence, still overwhelmed with the fact that their beloved one was now right besides them.

“I still can’t believe it.” Sehun broke the silence while playing with Baekhyun’s slender fingers. 

Baekhyun smiled, raised his head and placed a quick peck on Sehun’s cheek. “Me neither, I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.” Sehun stared at his lover who hadn’t changed a bit since they last saw each other, he caressed Baekhyun’s cheek before kissing each side. “Now tell me how you end up in Mago’s Cemetery, I’m curious.”

Baekhyun leaned back onto Sehun’s shoulder, adjusting to a comfortable position. “Mago didn’t give me the potion that day, she poured some hot lavender tea into the flask. I found that suspicious but didn’t know what was in her mind. Grim Reaper didn’t bring me to the Rainbow Bridge neither, instead, he took me to a guesthouse. Mago appeared again a while later, and she said I passed her test.”

“What test?” Sehun looked at his lover with a confused expression.

“It was all a set-up - drinking the potion, leaving with Grim Reaper, everything. Mago was testing if I had enough faith. She said she was not going to help me if I showed weakness or hesitance.”

“I thought they have rules to follow...”

“They do.” Baekhyun chuckled, “but Mago is Mago, she always finds a way. She presented me a contract, saying I was in debt to her and needed to work for her until I pay off my debt.”

“What? I don’t understand.” Sehun looked even more confused than before. While waiting for his lover to elaborate, he couldn’t help but turned Baekhyun’s face to kiss him on his lips, he didn’t let the smaller go until he tasted every bit of his soft lips.

“Are you gonna let me talk or not?” Chuckling again, Baekhyun playfully pushed his lover away and continued explaining. “Do you remember that crazy night after the annual party?”

Sehun smirked, “of course, every single bit of it.”

“Mago put some drugs named _cupiditas_ into Junmyeon’s cocktail, I was so mad and I went to her the next day, I broke her only bottle of cupiditas in this Cemetery. _Cupiditas_ is a very rare drug, it costs a fortune and takes up to a century to brew. She claimed that I owed her a bottle of _cupiditas_ , and that’s how I ended up staying at her Cemetery, brewing the cupiditas and helping her with other stuffs.”

“Oh _wow_ , that’s really unexpected, but it does sound like tricks that Mago will play.” Sehun laughed, amazed by Mago’s mind, as always. Caressing Baekhyun’s soft brown hair, Sehun continued to ask, “so you have been around all these years?”

“I usually stay here if I have to work, during weekends I go back to the guesthouse. She doesn’t let me go near the city so I can only hang around the suburb area. Occasionally I’m allowed to spend some time in Hotel Del Luna too. However, according to the contract terms I need to wear an _invisibility cloak_ whenever I’m outside the Cemetery, so no one knows I’m around at all, not even Jieun.” 

“Babe...” Sehun kept staring at Baekhyun’s lips when he was talking, he couldn’t resist the urge to press kisses first on his lips then all over his face.

“Why are you kissing me as if I was your dog? I’m not Vivi.” Baekhyun was ticklish and he started hiding left and right.

Sehun’s motion froze, he stared at his lover and questioned, “how come you know I have a dog called Vivi?”

“I know a lot about you, I _dream_ about you regularly. I know you had a successful career and apparently dozens of ladies and gentlemen were heads over heels for you. I know you travelled a lot and operated a small business after your early retirement. I know... while living on your own is tough, you never stop loving me.” Baekhyun paused, he wrapped his arms around Sehun’s nape and pressed his lips against Sehun’s.

“So the dreams are real, no wonder this room looks so familiar.” Sehun smiled. “I could feel it when you were missing me from time to time, when you were sitting on the balcony, when you were staring at the sea.”

“I miss you _everyday_ , Sehun.” 

Connecting their lips again, Baekhyun rolled his body over and was now sitting on Sehun’s lap, he locked Sehun inside his arms and kept kissing him. The kiss became urgent and passionate within seconds, they both felt turned on. Sehun slid his hands into Baekhyun’s shirt and started stroking Baekhyun’s skin sensually, he still remembered all sensitive spots on Baekhyun’s body. They made out on the couch until both of them felt that was not enough, that they wanted more. Sehun carried Baekhyun to his large bed and both began undressing each other in a familiar way. 

“I’ve been rehearsing this countless times in my dreams.” Sehun admitted after pressing another kiss on Baekhyun’s lips.

“I know.” Baekhyun raised his head and kissed Sehun back, “cos I’ve been doing the same.”

They finally got the chance to make love to each other after half a century of longing, both wanted to give their very best and make this night the most special and memorable one. When their bodies and souls reunited and became one once again, they knew everything they went through was worth it. 

✧  
“Good morning, love.” Baekhyun heard Sehun’s soft voice right after he woke up, his lover was smiling at him, just like what he used to do years ago.

“Good morning.” It felt like heaven, waking up in the arms of his lover. 

They cuddled on bed the whole morning, talking about their dreams, their feelings, about everything and nothing. 

“It’s like magic, the dreams we have been having are all visions of our live.” Sehun was once again in awe with their fate. “It made me feel like we have never really been apart.”

“That’s true... I suspect that’s also Mago’s trick. I’ve once heard of a spell called _somnia dulcia_ , which means _sweet dreams_ in Latin. It is just a myth, but they said casting this spell can connect the souls of two persons who are in love, so that one will know what is happening to the other in their dreams, even they are far apart.” Baekhyun explained, he was pretty confident that Mago was involved in all these mysteries.

“So Mago has been helping us all along?” 

“I think so. Grim Reaper and Mago have been doing a lot for us, from saving your life, offering me that suspicious contract, secretly letting us taking glimpses of the other’s live in our dreams, to bringing you here instead of the Bridge so that we can see each other again... I... honestly don’t know how to repay them.” Knowing both of them had plenty of rules and restrictions to follow, Baekhyun was particularly touched by everything they did for him and Sehun.

Baekhyun could feel Sehun tightening the grip on his waist, he stared at his lover, it seemed like Sehun had something to say, but was hesitating. “Sehun, is there anything wrong?” 

“I... just wonder what is gonna happen next.” Locking Baekhyun inside his embrace, many possibilities started popping up in Sehun’s mind, none of them seemed easy, unfortunately. “I’ve waited 50 years for this moment, I don’t wanna let you go again... I’m _scared_.”

To be honest, Baekhyun was having the same concern. Mago already allowed them staying together overnight, it was unlikely that she would make another exception for them, meaning they would soon need to drink their potion and meet Grim Reaper. No one knew what would happen afterwards.

“We will meet Mago in a bit, and we will know by then.” Baekhyun placed a quick peck on Sehun’s cheek, decided not to overthink for the time being.

✧  
Mago was waiting for Sehun and Baekhyun in her library. The two walked towards Mago hand in hand, Mago smiled and signalled them to take a seat.

“I bet you had a great night.” She winked at the two knowingly. Baekhyun nodded, face slightly reddened, Sehun smiled at his lover before wrapping his arms around his waist.

“Are you gonna tell us what will happen to us?” Baekhyun’s straight-forward personality never changed, he desparately wanted to know what would happen to them.

Mago took a tray from her office next to the library and put it on the table. On the tray there were two flasks filled with transparent liquid and some smashed petals in blue and purple, there were also two purple pills and a red thread.

“Be patient, dear. First of all, congratulations for making it through, 50 years doesn’t seem long for souls or beings like us, but it is a long time for humans. Sehun, you did exceptionally well and I’m so proud of you. As for you, Baekhyun, you’ve always known you are my favourite kid, I do whatever I’m allowed to in order to make your life easier. Now, I need both of you to listen to me carefully.” Mago made a short pause before she continued.

“I cannot grant any further exception to you, which means you will need to drink the potion and go to Grim Reaper _today_.” She heard a heavy pant from the couple, Baekhyun grasped Sehun’s hand tightly. “This potion is the real one, I’m not giving you lavender tea this time. I brewed this with some special ingredients though, can you see the smashed petals?”

Both of them nodded and Mago continued explaining, “these are petals from a flower called _forget-me-not_ , you probably could guess its function by its name. The memories that are supposed to be stored in the Cemetery will remain in your brain, you don’t have control over them, but they will just remain there until the _triggering event_ happens.”

“Triggering event?” Sehun raised his brows and asked.

“Do you know how the red thread work? I used it once when Junmyeon and Joohyun were here. If the love between you two are strong enough, the red thread will bring you back to one another. Yet, the two will not remember each other even when they meet. Junmyeon and Joohyun did meet each other again in their afterlife, but they started everything from scratch as two complete strangers.” Mago took a sip of her Jasmine tea and stared at the couple sitting opposite to her.

“But, with this special potion, when two of you meet again, the memories will be unlocked and you will remember each other. This is one of my gift to you.” She smiled, “all you need to do is to be patient until _fate_ brings you together again.”

Sehun and Baekhyun looked at each other, digesting what Mago just told them. Sehun let out a frustrated sigh, they had waited half a century to see each other, it was quite distressing that they held their hands tight only to let go of it one day later. 

“Fate really doesn’t go easy on us, huh.” Baekhyun smiled bitterly, “I sort of expected this but still, it is... _cruel_.”

“I know, dear, I know. Both of you have been through a lot, you truly deserve happiness together. Trust me, this is gonna be the last hurdle, it will be fine afterwards. One thousand years of hardship will be paid off, you will be given, in return, one thousand years of blessings.” Mago took the red thread and tied the two ends to Sehun’s and Baekhyun’s wrist respectively.

“Please take these pills and drink the potion.” Mago passed each of them one pill and one flask. 

“What is this pill?” Baekhyun questioned, he had never seen such pill before.

“This pill is called _somnia dulcia_. I made them myself.” Mago answered.

“I thought... it is just a myth.” Baekhyun stared at the purple pill and said.

“It used to be a spell some centuries ago, but it has been developed into pills to enhance its functionality.” Mago smiled at both of them, “I’ll excuse myself for a while, take your time. I hope you will have faith in me, have faith in yourselves, and have faith in _fate_ itself.”

Mago then returned to her office and locked the door, leaving the couple alone in the library. They gazed at each other, both could feel the cold sweat from each other’s hand, from their intertwined fingers. Mixed feelings occupied their mind, although they had been riding this emotional roller coaster for centuries, peak after peak, trough after trough, it still hit them hard when it was time for them to let go of each other once again.

Sehun noticed Baekhyun’s eyes turned teary and that familiar shade of sapphire blue appeared. This reminded him of the last time they parted, they didn’t say goodbye, hoping to see each other again. Now they were finally together, yet, another parting was waiting for them. 

“Remember that day when I sent you off, we didn’t say goodbye, because we believe we will see each other again, no matter how long it is gonna take?” Sehun wiped the tears away from Baekhyun’s cheek.

“Yes, I remember.” Baekhyun took Sehun’s hand with both his hands and grasped it firmly. “We are not saying goodbye this time neither, right?”

“No, we are not. I’m gonna find you, wherever you are.” Sehun pulled Baekhyun close and kissed his lips. 

“I‘ll wait for you, we will meet under the full moon, like what we did before.” Baekhyun leaned forward and kissed Sehun again, and again. “Sehun, I love you.”

“I love you too, Baek.” They kissed and kissed until both almost ran out of breath. “Maybe we should take them now?”

They swallowed the pill first and gulped down the potion, they looked at their intertwining fingers, their wrists being tied together with the red thread, they slowly raised their head and their gaze finally met. They smiled, reassuring each other that everything would be fine.

Once both flasks were emptied, Mago appeared at the library entrance. She approached the couple and gave each of them a firm hug. She held Sehun’s and Baekhyun’s hand that was tied by the red thread and murmured something, then a small tattoo started appearing on their wrist. There was a full moon on Baekhyun’s right wrist and a cherry blossom on Sehun’s left wrist, both tattoos were as tiny as fingernails. These were Mago’s secret blessings, the last gift to the couple.

“Safe journey, and all the best. May your afterlives be blessed with only bliss and happiness together.” Mago’s voice sounded little shaky, she seldom got emotional but this moment was also special to her. “Grim Reaper is waiting for you outside.”

Sehun and Baekhyun left the Cemetery, hands tightly held together, the red thread swinging under the gentle breeze. Grim Reaper nodded when he saw the couple, “are you ready for the most beautiful rainbow?”

✧  
Staring at the team photo on her office wall, Jieun wondered if Sehun had safely crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She was dressed in a red leather coat, when she bought the coat years ago she made up her mind she would wear it when she was ready to move on. _Finally, it’s time._

Most of her files had been transferred into electronic copies so there weren’t a lot of things for her to pack. She took a final glance at her office, a place she owned for almost eleven centuries, thousands of souls visited her office, they arrived and left, she was always the one staying behind. _It’s my turn now._ She exhaled, stepped out of her office and locked the door. 

Taking down the name tag on the door, this room was no longer co-director Lee Jieun’s office, she finally resigned officially from her position of Hotel Del Luna, she finally became a free soul, ready for her next journey.

Kyungsoo was waiting for her at the side exit, a reserved smile appeared on his face when he saw Jieun approaching. 

“You look stunning today.” He complimented and passed a purple tulips bouquet to Jieun. “A gift for you.”

“So you decided not to call me peacock today?” Jieun smirked, “thank you. I always love the tulips you plant. Also, purple is my favourite colour, they look so pretty.”

“Purple tulips symbolise _rebirth_. I wish you all the best, it’s my pleasure to have the opportunity to work with you. You’re loud and annoying sometimes, but I enjoy your accompaniment.” Kyungsoo said half-jokingly.

“You really can’t live a day without teasing me, huh?” Jieun laughed again, “anyway, I also enjoy managing Hotel Del Luna with you, you have helped me a lot, the hotel would probably go bankrupt if you were not around. Sorry for having to leave you behind, I believe Mago will assign another co-director soon. Until then, please take good care of the hotel, and of course, of yourself. Thank you for everything.”

Jieun extended her arms and hugged Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo wrapped his arms around Jieun and said, slightly emotionally, “Jieun, safe journey, be happy and smile everyday.”

“I will. Alright, I’m going to Mago now. Take care.” Jieun waved at Kyungsoo with a forced smile on her face, then she turned around without waiting for Kyungsoo’s response and walked towards Mago who had been waiting for her.

✧  
Jieun felt more emotional than ever once she saw the potion placed on the coffee table, she took the seat opposite to Mago.

“How are you feeling, dear?” Mago sipped her Jasmine tea and asked.

“Thrilled, nervous, uncertain...” Jieun laughed at her childish response right after she answered, “maybe just _emotional_.”

“That’s normal, I could imagine how important this moment is for you.” Mago gave Jieun her usual comforting smile. “You don’t have to worry at all. Since you already know what this potion is, I will leave the explanation behind. Before you drink it, do you have any special request, like, if you have any memories which you want to keep? I can’t guarantee but I will try my best to help.”

Jieun remained silent for a while, then she spoke up. “I want to erase all memories about that life, about Hotel Del Luna, and... about _him_.”

“Erase your memories... do you mean you want to _bury_ your memories in the Cemetery?” Mago frowned her brows and asked. “You have to understand, burial is an irrevocable act, _burying_ your memories is not the same as _storing_ them. Once your memories are buried, there are no ways to retrieve them. Jieun, are you sure?” Mago understood where Jieun was coming from but she just wanted to make sure she wouldn’t regret in future.

“Yes, I want to do that.” Jieun confirmed her decision. “It’s the best way for me to start all over again.”

Mago looked at Jieun directly with a serious face, then she eventually nodded. “I understand, wait for me here.”

She returned with a small bottle after a couple of minutes. She added a few drops of liquid as dark as ink into the flask. The dark liquid dissolved completely within seconds, leaving the potion looking exactly the same as before.

“I’ve added a few drops of _sepultura_ into your potion, this will serve the purpose.” Mago grabbed Jieun’s hand firmly, her eyes turned watery. “Dear, I have been looking after Baekhyun and you since the beginning, I’m really proud of you. You have done very well over the past centuries, I would like to express my gratitude to you. Thank you for everything you have done for Hotel Del Luna, you are the strongest girl I’ve seen. May you find your happiness and true love in your blessed afterlives.”

“Thank you for taking care of me.” Jieun thanked Mago before she took the potion and finished it in one go, it tasted refreshing like lime soda.

“You are very welcome. Now go to Grim Reaper, he is looking forward to walk you to the Bridge.” Mago gave Jieun one last hug and led her to Grim Reaper.

Grim Reaper greeted them both, he then accompanied Jieun to the Rainbow Bridge. Jieun was amazed by the dreamlike view right in front of her. A few drops of tears fell from her eyes silently, she secretly wiped them away. She turned around and found Grim Reaper smiling at her.

“I don’t know you know how to smile.” Jieun chuckled.

“I just feel happy for you, Jieun. You deserve it.” Grim Reaper responded, still in his flat voice, but the slight smile on his face made him less intimidating. “Guess it’s time for me to say goodbye to you. You have to finish the rest of the path yourself.”

“Thanks and... see you.” Jieun waved at Grim Reaper. 

She started crossing the Bridge with the purple tulips in her hand. Each passing second meant one step closer to her brand new beginning, she smiled and walked towards the double rainbow, feeling free and relieved. Multitude of colours spanning the horizon, the rainbow was still faraway from where she was now, but Jieun knew she would get there, _soon_.

✧  
_\- 20 years later -_

Sehun was waiting for his client of the day at the entrance of the nature reserve where he was working as a part-time tour guide. With the advancement in technology, stay-at-home travel had become a new norm, people could appreciate views from all over the world with a simple and convenient click. Yet, in Sehun’s opinion, one had to be physically present at a place in order to be able to appreciate the true beauty of nature, and that was the main reason he chose to work at this nature reserve.

Staring at the little cherry blossom tattoo on his left wrist, Sehun had an odd intuition that something special was going to happen. He had been having dreams since he was a teenager, a certain person with an attractive tenor voice appeared in his dreams repetitively. He couldn’t see that person’s face clearly, the only recognisable feature was a full moon tattoo on his right wrist. Sehun didn’t know who that person was, but it seemed to him that they were more than just acquaintances in the past, there was an inexplicably fierce bond between the two of them. 

_A full moon._

Sehun looked up to the late evening sky, his client had specifically requested a tour after 8pm because he would like to walk around the cherry blossom forest under the moon. This specific client caught Sehun’s attention because of the name he used, he didn’t put his real name in the registration form, instead, he had used a poetic word.

_Selenophile. A person who loves the moon._

Sehun wondered how the person looked like. He checked his mobile again, he would meet this interesting moon-lover a couple of minutes later. When it was exactly 8pm, he heard someone approaching. He turned around and saw a guy, a cute one, smiling at him.

The moment their gaze met each other’s, they both felt something unusual, something _special_. Their breaths quickened and their heart started to beat rapidly.

“Sehun?” The cute guy asked. Sehun’s eyes widened when he heard the same pretty voice he had heard many times in his dreams. “Thanks for accommodating my request. My name is Baekhyun.”

“Hmmm... You are welcome. Nice to meet you, Baekhyun.” Sehun responded a little bit too slow, he was still processing this coincidence. _What is the possibility of two persons having exactly the same voice?_

Sehun noticed Baekhyun’s facial expression changed slightly when he spoke, they kept staring at each other for a short while. Baekhyun was so good-looking that Sehun thought he could stare at his attractive face the whole day.

“Shall we go for a walk now?” Sehun smiled and led Baekhyun towards the starting point of the tour after the smaller nodded.

“It’s an amazing place, I’ve been wanting to visit for some time... I’m so happy that I can finally make it.” Baekhyun said cheerfully, his smile was contagious, Sehun couldn’t stop himself from smiling along.

“That’s true, this nature reserve is famous for the wide variety of plants, and the cherry blossom forest is one of the most popular area. People nowadays have easy access to the magnificent views all over the world, but it is different when you are here and look at it with your own eyes. This experience is irreplaceable.” Sehun felt more at ease with Baekhyun now, he relaxed a bit and started talking more casually.

“I absolutely agree, that’s why I insist to come here and have a look myself.” Baekhyun was still smiling, Sehun could feel his heart was beating unusually fast and loud, he hoped the smaller wouldn’t hear it or else it would be embarrassing.

They soon reached the lakeside, Sehun brought Baekhyun to a photo spot so that he could have the best view of the cherry blossoms and the lake.

“This is the best spot for photos, you can have a parametric view of the lake with all the cherry blossoms. You’re lucky that it is cloudless today, the full moon looks exceptionally bright.” Sehun kept stealing glances at Baekhyun while he spoke.

“This is astonishing.” Baekhyun was completely amazed by the scene, he took his camera out and started capturing the breath-taking view. “Photos don’t do enough justice to it.”

He turned around and realised that Sehun was staring at him, neither of them wanted to break the eye contact, both could feel the sparks between them. Baekhyun could feel his face getting hot under the fierce gaze of the handsome guy besides him.

“Hmmm, would you like to take a picture with me?” Baekhyun regretted right after he made this awkward suggestion, they just met each other after all. He usually wasn’t this forward with people but this time he spoke his mind out without thinking twice.

“Sure.” Sehun immediately showed his most confident smile, he just couldn’t hide the happiness. He stepped closer to Baekhyun and wrapped one arm around his shoulder. Baekhyun lifted his hand to make a V sign when they were taking a selca.

Sehun had his eyes fixed on Baekhyun’s hand. _Oh my... is it possible?_ He grabbed Baekhyun’s hand suddenly which startled the smaller a bit.

”Can I... have a look at your wrist?” Without waiting for Baekhyun’s response, Sehun spotted the tiny full moon tattoo on Baekhyun’s right wrist. “So it’s really you...”

“What do you mean?” Baekhyun bit his lips, eyes widened a bit. He had something in his mind too, but he decided to wait and let Sehun explain himself first.

“I know it sounds really absurd, but you have been appearing in my dreams for years, that’s why I felt oddly familiar when you arrived.” Sehun laughed at himself, he must have gone crazy for saying this.

There was a few moments of silence, just when Sehun thought he better apologise and change topic, he heard Baekhyun’s voice again. “Can you... also show me your left wrist?”

Sehun didn’t expect this at all, but he obeyed and rolled up his long sleeve, revealing his cherry blossom tattoo, his hand still holding Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun stared at the two tattoos on each of their wrist, heart racing like a horse.

Suddenly, some warm fluid started flowing around their bodies, the scenes that had only appeared in their dreams before were replaying in their heads. The only difference was the face was no longer blurry now, they had indeed been dreaming of each other. 

_One thousand years of hardship will be paid off, you will be given, in return, one thousand years of blessings._

They heard someone speaking in their mind. 

_I’m gonna find you, wherever you are._

Memories started flashing back, the two felt more and more attracted to each other. Without realising, Sehun stepped closer and pulled Baekhyun into his embrace.

_I‘ll wait for you, we will meet under a full moon, like what we did before._

The two were now staring at each other, almost nose to nose. They could hear the loud yet coherent thumping sound of both their hearts, for the very first time in these centuries.

_Sehun, I love you._

Baekhyun raised his hand and touched Sehun’s lips with his thumb, he remembered the way Sehun’s lips pressing against his own. He tiptoed and placed a quick peck on Sehun’s lips.

_I love you too, Baek._

Sehun tightened the hug, he remembered the heavenly feeling of hugging Baekhyun. It felt even more addictive than before, because Baekhyun was now a human being, alive and warm.

They gazed at each other, too overwhelmed to say anything. Their eyes turned watery with the intense emotions. Fate had brought them together once again, in a place resembling where they first met.

“ _Beotkkot._ ” Sehun whispered softly into Baekhyun’s ear.

“ _Manwol._ ” Baekhyun responded, burying his face in Sehun’s chest.

_I’ve finally found you again. My love._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Sebaekists, I can’t believe it!!! This au is completed!!! *sob* It has been a long journey, although I started posting in October, I actually had this prompt in mind since May after I watched HDL and I started planning and writing in Summer... I really really love this story and have spent quite a lot of time on writing it, my English is far from perfect but I tried T.T Thanks for all the comments, I’ve seen some of you said you cried (ooops) but I wish some parts of this story made you laugh and happy as well, it is never my intention to write and make ppl sad only!!! I hope you have spent some good time with this story over the past 3 months, I would love to know what you think about it :) I still don’t have anything concrete about what to write next so... guess that’s it for the time being, take care and see you again soon!


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